9 months!

Clara Jane,

I seriously cannot wrap my mind around the fact that you are 9 months old! That's 3/4 of a year.  I say this every month but weren't you just my tiny newborn baby blob? But I must say, as much as I do miss your newborn snuggles I actually love watching you grow and become more and more interactive with the world around me. Sometimes I just stop and simply observe you because I can't get over how much you've grown and developed in just 9 short months. So let's talk about what's new with you!

Stats: We just went to the pediatrician today, so I know the particulars this time. You are 24 lbs (above the 95th percentile), 28.5 inches (75th percentile) and your head circumference is 17.5 (50th percentile). You're still my big girl! But actually this is your smallest ever weight gain in between appointments (and this is the longest gap between appointments), you gained less than 2 lbs in 3 months. But considering you were off the charts for weight before you're still pretty big! But the doctor seemed happy to hear that you're hitting all your milestones and trying lots of new foods.

You're now wearing anywhere from 12-24 months in clothes, though most typically 18 months. The sleeves and pant legs are a tiny bit long but I figure you'll get more wear out of these clothes if I buy a little bigger than needed. I have a feeling you'll be in 18 months clothes for a while because you're slowing down a little in growth (and you're bound to thin out as you learn to walk!)

Eating: You still love mama's milk and nurse anywhere from 4-6 times a day. But you now eat just about anything and like to feed yourself. You eat lots of black beans, cheese, pasta, broccoli, peppers, chicken, pork and steak. Basically whatever mom and dad eat you get little pieces of. And of course puffs and your organic veggie/cheese curls. You're a pretty big fan of food in general. We tried sprouted flour pancakes the other day and you seemed to be a fan of those as well! I love introducing you to new foods :)

Sleep: Oh sleep, you're a fickle mistress. Someone asked me what I wanted for Christmas the other day and I said "a full night's sleep"! Somedays are fine, you go down between 7-8pm and wake up once between 4-5am for a feeding and then go back down until 7:30-8am. That's just fine with me! But other days you wake up (but only seem somewhat awake) whimpering and thrashing around and need your pacifier to go back down. And then sometimes (like last night) you're inconsolable and need to be nursed to go back down. Last night was the latter. We have figured out that we need to put you into warmer PJs now that it's getting cold. So we've invested in some fleece footed one piece sleepers and that seemed to help. But the doctor confirmed today that you're trying to pop 4 teeth so that explains why sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night really uncomfortable :( I hope sleep improves/becomes more consistent because I'm tired (and hate seeing you unhappy at night) and I miss sleeping through the night!

Development: As I said earlier your development is crazy these days. You now crawl faster than the speed of lightning, can pull yourself to stand, can take small steps when holding on to furniture, and the other day you pulled yourself up on daddy's leg and then stood unassisted! (though daddy said you kind of looked like a drunken sailor, haha!)

You also are getting to be so curious. Whenever I walk away from you, even for a moment, you follow me. You love to pull your toys out of the toy box and pulling everything out of laundry baskets or diaper bags is a favorite activity of yours! Socks never stay on your feet long, you love to pull them off and eat them, silly girl.

You're very chatty. You now say "dada" on a regular basis an "nanana" which may be a form of ,ama, though you do occasionally actually say "mama" (sadly "dada" is much more common). You also say a word that sounds like "dowg" which we think is your version of dog or doggie. You love that voice of yours and tend to chat to yourself or anyone who will listen! 

You clap all the time now and wave quite frequently as well. Daddy also started teaching you how to shake your head "no" (I told him that's a dangerous skill to teach!).

Favorites: You love, love, love books. Clearly you're the daughter of an English major. Last month I got you a board book with flaps called "Trick or Treat" and you are obsessed. So obsessed that some days you will bat away all other books. You really like flap books. We got you a few more including "Peekaboo Sophie" and "Where is Baby's Pumpkin?" you can lift the flaps yourself and love to do so!

Other things that you enjoy--well your Rusty Red is probably #1. He makes you coo, laugh and smile. When you hear the jingle of his tags you practically jump out of my arms! I love seeing the two of you together. You're learning to be a little more gentle with him so he's tolerating your "pets" a little bit more. He loves you during your meal time because you frequently drop food and sometimes you even intentionally give him your food! 

As for toys you really enjoy the Leap Frog "Ages and Stages" activity bar we bought for $2 at a garage sale! You like the Fisher Price walker as well. But more than anything you like to play with everything you're not supposed to (like Rusty's water bowls, cords, laundry, keys, etc). As I said you are SUPER curious.

TV doesn't really hold your interest long but you will occasionally cuddle with me and watch Peter Rabbit, Bubble Guppies, and Sophia the 1st. 

Overall, I think that you are just about the cutest, sweetest, craziest, most fun baby ever. I love you so, so, much. I am so blessed to be your mama. 

Oh, and I also think you're just about the cutest little mousling ever! I love dressing up my beautiful babe!

Love you to the moon and back,
Mama

Recently

Dearest Clara,

Life has been busy recently. Seems to be the trend. Your daddy has been working lots of overtime and mama's been busy with school work and her many part time jobs. Never rest for parents! Oh well.

I can't believe in less than a week you'll be 9 months old!! Wow. 3/4 of a year, just crazy. I've already started planning your birthday party (just small little things--I have a theme and I ordered you a shirt) and I'm thinking about the holidays and looking forward to you experiencing all of that for the very first time!

It's almost Halloween, a holiday mom and dad both greatly enjoy (though probably your daddy the most--he loves to scare people, ha!) and I can't wait to see you dressed up as a cute little mouse. 

We've gotten to experience lots of fun fall activities with you like taking you to the pumpkin patch and going on walks to see the trees. It's all just flying by though--I really wish we had more time to just stop, slow down and take in the moment.

Currently you are snoozing after much protest. You've kind of been a cranky lady these past couple days. Just when all was well and you were sleeping great teething decided to rear it's ugly head :( Oh well, I knew that there would be more regressions coming. I just hope that next time I update that you will finally have some teeth to show for all this pain!

Life is crazy, but we are blessed. I still sit back and think about how much has changed in the last year. Life is certainly more hectic and I get far less sleep  than I had hoped for--but I wouldn't change it for the world. You are wonderful and the gift of motherhood is certainly a precious one. I try hard to be the best mama I can. 

Love you to the moon and back sweet Clara Jane,
Mama

7 & 8 months!

Oh goodness. Raising a baby, going to school, and working several jobs has caught up to me! I have neglected this poor blog. I had previously drafted a 7 month post but never completed it. I blame Ms. Clara's mobility and ability to get into everything if I take my eyes off of her!

So let's update on what's been going on these past two months.

Dearest Clara,

Wow, today you are 8 months old. I still feel like I just held you for the first time. Yet, those days of being utterly exhausted and so unsure of what to do seem like a distant memory. Don't get me wrong, I'm still always tired and I'm not sure I'll ever know exactly what to do as a mom, but suddenly I feel much more seasoned. 

These past few months have big! First of all...
You are mobile! Scary. You started to creep around just before your 7 month birthday, but by the end of August you were on the move. And now you are a crawling fool! You are quickly gaining speed. And your newest trick is standing. You can almost get all the way up on your own. And if we stand you up you stand there a long time. All this mobility means that you have been getting into everything. I cannot take my eyes off of you for long. And you are feisty because if you get into something I don't want you to have and take it away from you you are not shy and letting me know you are not happy! You pout that lip and cry and big ugly cry. You know what you want and when you want it.

Eating: You still are on mama's milk and I would say that's your favorite. You are not a fan of bottles though. For a while you flat out refused them. Which was worrisome because mama cannot be with you 24/7. Between my grad classes, subbing and other ventures you still occasionally need to be fed by someone else. You did take a bottle for grandma and dad though, so that's good. 

You have been trying lots of foods--including chunks of steamed foods! In the past two weeks you haven't been into purees or being spoon fed. You enjoy bigger pieces that you can feed yourself. You love your puffs (the Happy Puffs--you've tried Sweet Potato, Apple, Greens, and Purple Carrot and Blueberry and love them all), yogurt bites, Happy Crunchies (cheddar and carrot). You've also eaten chunks of apples, pears, nectarines, asparagus, and chicken. We are going to try cauliflower soon too. 

You went through a phase where you wouldn't eat too many solids. You've been teething and under the weather so that's probably why.

Sleeping: Oh sleep. How I miss you. In all seriousness it hasn't been that bad. Though we have had rough nights. Your daddy brought home a nasty cold that we have all had. You seem to have had it the longest though :( Not being able to breathe well out your noise definitely affecting your eating and sleeping. We had one night that you slept for a half hour, woke up screaming, I had to rock you to sleep (which you have never before liked), and then you finally passed out on me (which again, never happens). It was sad. But I can't lie, I enjoyed the snuggles. You rarely snuggle and sleep on me anymore! 

Aside from sickness you usually wake up 1-2 times overnight. You go to bed between 7:30-8:30. The first waking is usually between 12:30-2 and I try not to feed you this time. But daddy is much better at soothing you back to sleep, when it's just me sometimes I give in. Or let you cry a little (which I hate). And then once around 3:30-5:30. I usually feed you once you get up that time. And then you are typically up for the day between 7:30-8. It's not too bad. It could be much, much worse. But boy do I miss a full night of uninterrupted sleep. But I know these days are fleeting. Trying not to complain too much. 

Stats: You don't go to the doctor until next month. But I would say that you're around  23 lbs. You are heavy! But I don't think you'll gain much in the next few months because you are SO active. You're still fairly tall. You pretty much wear 12-18 months clothes. Some of your 12 month stuff is snug though! You are certainly a big, healthy girl. But that's ok. I just hope you fit into your Halloween costume next month! Your feet seem to finally be getting a lil bigger. You fit into a size 3 Carter's shoe the other day.

Things you like: You love your Rusty dog. You stare at him all the time and chase him around. You like his toys too! He tolerates you. He doesn't love the fact that you grab him hard (he's much littler than you!) but he loves when you drop puffs for him! You also love music and songs. Bath time with daddy is another favorite. You love splashing in the water. Recently you seem obsessed with the satellite box and X-Box. So much that we have to keep you away from them! You also like your Fisher Price singing dog and the little Fisher Price walker we got at a garage sale. But simple items like Tupperware, boxes, and paper to crunch seem to keep your attention the longest!

You went to the "Running of the Weiners" at the Cincinnati Oktoberfest, which you seemed to like! We got to see cute weenies race and everyone adored your dachshund outfit. I think you're gonna be a Doxie lover like your mama :) 

These past two months you have just been developing leaps and bounds. You love to "talk" (which is really usually a shriek!), you love to watch and observe. Most of all you love to be on the move :) You are as your daddy says a "fireball". But you are happy and healthy (despite this stupid cold) and I couldn't be happier to be your mama! Happy 8 months my love.

Love you to the moon and back, 
Mama 

Sickness stinks.

My dear sweet Clara,

As I write you are slumbering soundly. You've been doing a lot of slumbering today. I noticed you seemed sleepier and  fussier than usual today. I also noticed when I kissed your little head this morning that you felt slightly warm.

Fast forward to this evening when you refused your solids and seemed to want to be held all through our dinner trip out. My suspicions were confirmed when I found your temperature to be 101.4! :( I hate seeing you sick. I wish I could take your pain and discomfort away. The doctor on call and Aunt Annie (your lucky to have an aunt who's a peditrican!) have confirmed that you should be fine, probably a virus, possibly teething (or both!) but I hate it none the less.

I know this is boosting your immune system but I can't help but to still feel sad and a little helpless to help you! You've been SO healthy. Other than a teeny tiny cold when you were a newborn (sans fever) and the typical immune ramp up after your shots, you haven't been sick! Hopefully breastfeeding, snuggles and rest will help you be back to normal in no time.

I know that you'll be sick a thousand times more in your life and I should be thankful that you've been so healthy so far but I can't help but to be bummed. Part of being a mommy is having a literal piece of you walking (or in your case scooting and rolling) around outside of yourself. That's quite a quandary. It's wonderful yet sometimes you feel vulnerable for two. I love our bond though. I love that I could tell something was amiss with you by "mothers instinct" alone. I love being your mom. I hate sickness.

And maybe it's just paranoia but my throat feels a bit scratchy and my nose a lil stuffy currently. Hopefully I stay well enough to take care of you and nurse you back to health! Especially since daddy's at work all day tomorrow. 

Praying you feel better ASAP! Trusting that you will. 

Love you, get well soon,

Mom

Sleepy sick girl during one of her naps today. So precious when you sleep and cuddle your security blanket.

Brave

Dearest Clara,

I've thought a great deal about what I want to teach you. I may not be classified as old and wise yet, but I feel that I do have some wisdom to impart to you. Of course I want to teach you to be a woman of faith, a lover, a giver and a caring friend. But, I also want to teach you to have some qualities I've never been the best at embodying.

One of those qualities would be gracefulness. Your mama is admittedly a klutz. At any given time I am covered in bruises and scrapes. It's not shameful to be a klutz, but I don't want you falling and hurting yourself all the time. I'd love for you to try ballet. Maybe you'll learn to love it and become a little ballerina. After all, your name is Clara, which is the lead character in The Nutcracker; it would only be fitting. And if you were a ballerina you may learn to flit around with an airiness and grace that I have never possessed. But, if you're a klutz like me I won't hold it against you; I know you get it honestly!

Another quality would be athleticism. Mama loves a nice long walk, yoga and even a little bit of cardio but I am not athlete. Klutziness gets in the way of any athletic prowess I may have possessed. I have always had a fear of being annihilated by a ball or puck or anything sharp or hard. Your daddy however, is very strong and athletic. He likes running, lifting, and of course his paintball. Maybe you'll inherit his skills.

But most of all my dear sweet, innocent daughter, I want you to be brave. I want you to hold on to your fearlessness for as long as possible. I want you to hold your sense of wonder and let nothing hold you back from trying new, exciting adventures. Do not be timid, do not be shy. Be brave. Embrace the unknown, embrace everything that is new and unfamiliar. It's an old corny adage but no one ever looks back on life and says they're grateful for sitting on the sidelines.

Of course there's benefits to being a spectator. As a curious baby you take everything in at all times. You are observing, watching, learning. Continue to learn, but don't be stagnant. Take action. Try something new everyday. Don't ever let fear get in your way. Fear is for the weak, and you, my dear daughter are strong. 

I've let fear get in my way too many times. I've missed out on too many opportunities because of fear of the unknown and fear of failing. Here's one truth that you need to know. Trying and failing is okay. Never trying is not okay. How will you ever learn? How will you ever discover your greatness? I never tried  a variety of activities or adventures because the fear I'd be "bad" at it or I'd "obviously" fail. But I will never know, because I never tried. 

I will tell you the times that I which I was brave are the times I am the most proud of. At 15 I had major back surgery. 8 hours of surgery, had to have a chest tube, and now have a titanium rod and six screws in my spine. As a scrawny, scrappy little 15 year old it was terrifying. I couldn't even talk about it leading up to the surgery because I was so terrified. There was so much unknown, something could go wrong, I could be paralyzed, never walk again. But I had no choice but to be brave. And I was. I made it through, with flying colors. I learned I was so much stronger than I thought. So much braver than I could have ever imagined. And I was proud of myself in a way that I didn't even know was possible. I had overcome a fear, and I made it out on the other side. That feeling is unbeatable. I want you to have that feeling, and often. I want you to be proud of yourself. I know I'll be proud of you, I already am.

Another example of my braveness came from you. I gave birth to you without a single drug in my body. I didn't even have an IV! I labored for hours, pushed for almost 3 (Yikes!). There were times I was so exhausted I fell asleep on my hospital bed. But I dug deep. I kept thinking of you. I wanted you to be born in the most natural, beautiful way. The way that you were intended to come into this world. I knew it would help us with recovery, with breastfeeding, with bonding. So I labored on (literally) and I spoke to you. Asked you to be strong for me. Help me to be brave--and for you to safely make your way into this world. And when your daddy helped to deliver you (because he's a paramedic, he can do that!) and I held you and stared at your perfect little pout for the first time I was beyond happy. I was elated. I was brave. Daddy brags about this all the time. He tells me all the time how strong I was. To tell you the truth I had never felt more weak and vulnerable. But I was strong and steadfast. And I had the most wonderful gift for my bravery.

There has been several times where I haven't been brave. Where I've held my tongue as someone degrades my self worth, where I have chickened out from any exciting adventure (whether it be a roller coaster, a zip line, or a trip), where I've let the fear of the unknown paralyze my sense of adventure. Don't do this. You will be scared at times. You will be uncertain. But don't walk away. Be brave. Let yourself be open to the unknown. Let it take a hold of you, change you, shape you into something strong and mighty. You may be small right now but you are certainly mighty. You are amazing, and don't you ever forget it. It will be my duty to remind you of it everyday.

After all, you're the daughter of a firefighter, one of the bravest professions out there. You have bravery in you already, you just have to unleash it. You are already feisty and determined. I hope you never lose that. Even if it makes my life more difficult. I don't want you sitting on the sidelines. I want you in the game. And I'll be there cheering you on every step of the way.

Love, 
Mom

6 months! Happy 1/2 Birthday Clara Jane :)

Clara Jane,

I can't believe this is even possible, but you are 6 months old today! Holy half a year. Time has flown by. In those first few weeks of being up all night I thought we would never get here, but alas, it's your half birthday :) I am a lover of birthdays so I think today is a reason to celebrate. Though every day of being alive and well is a reason to thank God and celebrate.

Ok, let's talk about what's new with you this month sweet thing!

Eating: You started solid foods! woo-hoo :) Mama's milk is still your fave and breastfeeding is still going great but we've introduced you to some new things here lately. Starting in your 5th month we gave you teeny little bits of avocado and sweet potato, but about two weeks ago we jumped in and started with solids. Your first puree was peaches which you seemed to dig. Next puree was sweet potato which you did ok with. So far you have had peaches, pears, sweet potatoes, bananas and avocado. You haven't disliked any of them but I would say that peaches are your favorite! I've primarily been making my own foods but you did try some of those organic pouches. 

Sleeping: Your sleep is unpredictable. I am happy that I'm not working right now because I would be a zombie. You have nights that you sleep great (like two nights ago!) and nights that it takes us hours to get you to go down (like last night when we had to take a drive around the neighborhood at 11pm!) and nights when you wake up what seems like a million times because you roll onto your tummy and then get mad when you wake up that way! But, we've made huge progress with sleep. You are now sleeping unswaddled, in your crib all night! No more swing or swaddle for our big girl. I am optimistic that your sleep is slowly getting better. You started napping a little more regularly (as I blogged about the other day!) and now that you can roll into different positions it seems that you may have started to learn to self-soothe a little. I just am trying to be patient. That can be really hard in the middle of the night when you've been up about 10 times though! Everyone says I will miss these days soon enough though.

Developments: This month has been full of developments! I am amazed by you. You can now sit up unassisted for long periods of time, you can roll from back to belly (and do so often!), you can get up on all fours (this is new and you can only hold it a few seconds but still!) and when we hold your arms or legs you can stand for long periods of time. You are making tons of new noises, you squeal, giggle, laugh and just have fun all the time now. I think that all these new developments may be part of the reason your sleep has been out of whack. But I am so, so proud of you and all your milestones. You seem to be right on target. I think you're going to be a smart, chatty, happy little girl.

All in all this has been another amazing month of being your mama. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us. I love you to the moon and back!

Nap time!

Miss Clara is currently in the middle of a nap. A nap! In her crib. In the middle of the afternoon. This never happens. She has been sleeping poorly (due to rolling over on her belly and getting stuck) but I guess I'll take the small changes. I am one happy mama right now.

Currently

Listening to: Nothing at the moment. But Clara loves Darius Rucker's song Wagon Wheel so we listen to that quite a bit. I also love Carrie Underwood's I Will See You Again...makes me think about my grandpa, who Clara reminds me so much of. She has his facial expressions and his ornery spicy ways. Love it. Also just heard the winner of The Voice Danielle Bradbery's new song Heart of Dixie which I'm really digging. Clara is going to be a country music fan like her mama, because that's most of what we listen to! 

Creating: Well nothing has come to fruition as of yet,but I am feeling very creative these days. As an English major it has always been my goal to write. I always thought it would be a novel but recently I have a children's book idea in mind. I blame having an almost 6 month old for the switch! ha. Also, I really want to get into crafting! I am admittedly not the most patient person and not the most neat, so crafts can be hard for me. But I am creative and imaginative which helps. I want to get a second hand sewing machine and learn how to sew. I would love to make Clara headbands and other cute things :)

Reading: I have read a bunch of samples on my Kindle recently. I really want to read Eleanor and Park. My aunt has it and says she'll let me borrow it when she's done. I started reading it but held off buying it because I can get if for free! Also, wanting to read the latest Jennifer Echols novel. I really do love me so young adult fiction. 

I also got a library card recently so I got a bunch of baby related books. We're going to jump into solids with Clara soon so I thought I'd get some books about baby food. Thinking of making some recipes tonight!

Amazed by: How big my baby girl is. Not just in size, (she is quite the chunker, and can already wear some 18 months clothes in certain brands!) but in her abilities. She "talks" all the time now, can sit up like a pro, rolls more often (though she still isn't so impressed with the whole rolling thing, think she'd rather get up and walk if she could), is making strides towards crawling, doing her "mini push up" all the time, and is trying little bits of new food. She's amazing. I just feel like it's going so fast. I swear she was just born and now she's almost a half a year old. Really realizing how much I need to soak it all in.

Big girl smiles in the jumperoo! 

4th of July photo blast

Outfit #1 on July 3rd

Another shot

Outfit #2 July 4th 

Love her rolls!

Outfit #3 courtesy of Aunt Annie!

And a lil photo app fun! Tried to make fireworks--but they kinda look like they're coming outta Rusty's booty! Haha 

The yummy (and beautiful!) dessert we made 

Auntie Melissa and Auntie Sharece came to visit! 

And the whole fam! 

5 months

Sweet Girl,

Where is time going?? 5 months!! That doesn't even seem possible. But alas, it is! Here's what you're up to this month!!

Eating: Still mama's milk, but we're thinking of introducing solids soon. You've recently started sitting up unassisted for longer periods of time and you are SO interested in food and mimic chewing. We've given you very small pieces of avocado, sweet potato, and apple but you weren't quite sure. We won't start on a regular basis until closer to 5.5 months more than likely (definitely by 6 months) but it's cool to experiment a little. I plan on making my own baby food, or possibly trying Baby Led Weaning, so that will be an exciting process! For now mama's milk is doing you good. You have rolls galore! I am sure you're pushing 20 lbs. by now!

Sleeping: With the exception of a few bad nights you have been sleeping in your crib consistently! You typically come into our room to be fed anywhere between 4-7 am. Sometimes you go right back to sleep and sometimes you want to party! We try to put you back in your swing--but when mom and dad are really tired you go in your swing. But you have almost outgrown it! You are getting SO big. You're still swaddled at night (just your hands, not your feet!)--we want to wean from this ASAP but I am not looking forward to it. You like to flail and wake yourself up! Though today you did take a nap on mom and dad's bed without your swaddle! woo-hoo! It was a short nap, but it counts. Baby steps (no pun intended). We're thinking that this week we will start naps with an arm out of the swaddle and go from there!

New Developments: You are developing SO much. You seem to make new noises every day. You coo, babble, shriek, scream, and almost growl! **Maybe you get that growling thing from your love of Rusty Dog** Speaking of Rusty, you are obsessed with our adorable weenie dog! You watch him like a hawk and try to grab at him. Sometimes you get him--poor puppy has been hurt/scared a bit when you tug a little too hard. But I have high hopes you two will be best buddies :) You're continuing to sit up in highchairs like a big girl at restaurants. You LOVE being able to sit up. We practice your sitting everyday and you're doing better and better. Also, you do an awesome baby mini-push up. I swear you look like you could take off crawling any day now. However since you rolled once you're not a big fan of rolling again (though you get really close!) --oh well! You also seem to laugh and smile more and more everyday. Your laugh and smile melt my heart. I am still amazed you are mine. I don't know how I got so lucky to be blessed with a beautiful baby girl but I do my best to thank God every day for you. I hope I can be the amazing mom you deserve.

Love you to the moon and back and I'd give you the moon and more baby girl.
Love, 
Mama

Currently

Listening : To Clara's baby monitor. She went to sleep fairly easily tonight and I am hoping she stays asleep! But if I had to choose what I want to listen to it would be Everything has Changed by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. I listened to Red non-stop while pregnant with Clara and even though it's a love song, it talks about your whole world being different by meeting one person, which is how I feel about my beautiful Clara. The last lines especially:
All I know is the new found grace
All my days I know your face
All I know since yesterday is everything has changed

Reading: The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen. Love, love, love her books. I gave up on Safe Haven. Saw the movie instead. Not super impressed. I think I am over Nicholas Sparks. Is it bad I have an English degree and I read bad chick lit? I try to like classics but they're not really my thing. I do love contemporary fiction but haven't had the energy for a complex book recently--I blame it on my nearly 5 month old ;-) 

Longing for: Some place warm and tropical. My best friend got married on Saturday and she's honeymooning in Jamaica right now. Made me remember my amazing honeymoon in Rivera Maya. Best trip ever. I so miss the beach--even though I went last year for my husband's cousin's wedding it was a short trip and I feel like I haven't been on a real beach vacation in forever. Ohio living is no fun sometimes! However we are planning to visit Pete's cousin (the before-mentioned one who got married last year!) in DC before she moves to Germany! I think we may have to sneak in a trip to the shore while we're there. Not the same as the Carolinas but it will do for now.

Loving: My husband, my dachshund, and of course my adorable baby girl, Clara Jane. She rolled for the first time today! I was SO proud of her. I've been having some stressful days here recently because she was going through some very cranky spells--however today was a really good day and she was just all smiles. I can't believe how fast she's growing. She makes new sounds everyday, smiles, laughs and just completely melts my heart. It's days like today I realize how incredibly blessed I really am to be a mom. 

Some photo love

I got a new photo app that I love! So I wanted to share some of my pics!

Love that they love each other!

Grabbing at toys all the time now! She loves bunny and Sophie!

She's so cute in swimwear :)

My "1st born" baby boy. Clara's "bubby"!

4 months!

My beautiful Clara,

This post is far past due as you are 4.5 months old now! You keep us very busy these days so I haven't had much blog time! So let's talk about what's new in the world of you!

Eating: Still mama's milk only! And it's doing its job--you weighed nearly 19 lbs (18 lbs 12.2 ozs to be exact!) at your 4 month appointment! You were taking 4-5 bottles of expressed milk when I was working but now that its summer it's strictly mama feeding you! 

Sleeping: So we mixed it up a little since last month. Now days we are trying to transition you to the crib. You've had a few rough nights (including the night that we had to take you on a drive at 9:30 because you would not calm down!) but it appears you are starting to get the hang of it! The doctor suggested that we start weaning you from the swaddle but we tried once and it was not fun. So we may need to go slow on that front. You still love your swing naps--and after a two week nap strike I think we may be back on track (knock on wood!) Let's hope sleep continues to improve. 

New Developments: You are so vocal these days! You make so many sounds and squeals. You also love to grab at things! You constantly grab at my hair--which hurts! But I am proud of your motor skills! You also got a new "Jenny Jump Up" and you like it a lot so far ! As you can see here:

You're not quite rolling but you're close! You are learning to sit however! But you still got a bit of a lean! 

Firsts and other Excitement: 

You went the pool for the first time ever! The water was chilly but you seemed to like it for the most part! You are an Aquarius--which is a water sign! 

You also have started sitting in a big girl high chair at restaurants! You love being able to sit up and look around :) 

 

You are such a joy overall. You are certainly strong willed and you are super curious about the world around you. We've had some days where mama feels like she'll go crazy cooped up in the house but as soon as we get out and about you are calm and love to look around! Especially now that you ride front facing in the stroller! 

I can't wait to see what this next month brings for us! I love you to the moon and back and I'd give you the moon and more!

Currently

Currently

Loving: The beautiful weather that we've been having recently. I love going on walks with Pete, Clara, and Rusty. Also, loving every day with my baby girl. She's getting so fun. Though it's getting harder to leave her for work--luckily less than 5 weeks left :)

Reading: Still trying to read Safe Haven. Though having a 3 month old seems to complicate reading. Plus, my summer semester grad school classes start soon so I will more than likely be reading boring stuff soon, bummer.

Watching: Well, my husband is watching Survivor (which he may have been watching last time I did one of these!) but it's still not my favorite show. I finished watching some of my guilty pleasure shows earlier (i.e. Teen Mom 2). 

Listening to: Right now the TV and the ocean wave white noise coming from the baby monitor. But as far as music I'm into recently I am still loving Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors". Clara loves it too! She loves watching my mouth as I sing--her big smiles light up my world! Also still loving just about every song on Taylor Swift's "Red" CD, that's my go-to on the ride to work!

Thinking About: Going to bed soon. Also daydreaming about summer and not working full time next year! I know I will still be busy between sub teaching, grad school and of course taking care of a baby, but it will be nice to not have to worry about childcare as much! I am so excited to watch Clara's continued growth too! 

This week at work has been pretty crazy. I am ready for the weekend and ready for a mental break!

A little photo montage of Miss Clara. I got an iPhone 5 and decided to check out some new photo editing apps! Having a little too much fun :)

3 months!

Clara Jane, you are officially 3 months old! According to the books I've read you are no longer considered a "newborn" and are now officially an "infant"--wow, crazy how time flies. I remember in those first few (hard) weeks how I kept thinking if we can make it to 3 months we'll be ok. And now here we are. I still can't believe you're really mine and I'm really a mother. It continues to be the most difficult but most rewarding job of my life. 

This month was full of big changes. Mommy went back to work for the last 8 weeks of school. It was sad, especially the first day and I was worried sick how you'd behave for your daddy, but it surprisingly has gone really well! I love that you get to be daddy's little lady and you seem happy to see me every day when I come home! Also, it is 8 hours a day that I get to use two hands and be around adults (well, lots of kids too, but adult co-workers!) so that is quite nice. 

Stats:
Haven't been to the doctor's office recently so not 100% sure. But I would say definitely 15 lbs. or more by now. I am getting strong arms these days! Love my chunky monkey though :) 

Starting to wear 6 month clothes! Crazy. The sleepers are a little big, but you're starting to burst out of all the 3 month clothes. Rolls are just every where--even on your wrists. You're pretty much the cutest thing ever.


Eating:
Still mama's milk only! Still an excellent eater. You're taking bottles almost every day now that mama's back at work--and you're taking them like a champ! That was my biggest fear is that you'd refuse them and be cranky all day. However, you're like your daddy and like to eat so at a certain point you take it however you can get it. 

Sleeping:
Again, don't want to jinx it but still going good! We have our nights where you wake up grunting and need to be soothed (by a pacifier or the swing) but for the most part you like your sleep! You've been going to bed a little earlier (between 8:30-9) and usually wake up anywhere from 5 (not my favorite wake-up time) to 7. You started breaking free from your swaddle so we looked up the "escape-proof swaddle" and use that now--so far so good! I know eventually you will outgrow swaddling, but your startle reflex is still so strong and you constantly wake yourself up without it, so until you're clearly too big for it we will keep doing it! 

When you're at home with daddy he swaddles you for a good mid-day nap...he says you go down for almost 3 hours sometimes! Mama still needs to work on her skills with getting you to nap. But I think you're slowly but surely setting a schedule for yourself. All in due time.

Things I love about you:
Oh, still just about everything. Since I've gone back to work I feel like I appreciate our time together so much more. As much as I love and miss you being away is nice because I have a chance to miss you and get to come home to your smile. Also, you've started to giggle! It's pretty much the cutest thing ever, and I love the sound. Your smiles and giggles make me absolutely melt. Anytime I am feeling exhausted or overwhelmed all you have to do is flash a gummy grin and I am putty in your hand!
Things you love:
You're still really loving your Fisher Price Kick N Play Gym--in fact you are now batting at the hanging toys with two hands! You also seem to like it when we make funny faces at you. Recently you've starting smiling so big when I sing to you! Today we were singing Justin Timberlake's new song "Mirrors" and you were just smilin' away. 

You're getting a little more into your "toys". I got you an aden + anais Issie Security Blanket
or "lovie" that you enjoy sucking on. We've also introduced you to Sophie the Giraffe, which you seem to like ok. Daddy has you hold your "OBall" rattle every now and then too.

I love reading you books. I know you may not get everything but you seem engaged when I'm telling you a story. You look at me and like the tone and inflection that I use. Recently I purchased the Kevin Henkes book Circle Dogs It's a book about dachshunds so of course I love it! I hope you love doxies as much as your mama!

Development:
You have started to pull your head up during tummy time without the Boppy. You are starting to babble more and more and we're still working on the whole rolling over thing. You seem to take everything in at all times. No longer do you like being held up on the shoulder--you like to be on our laps, full engaged with the environment around you. Your head control is great and you can bear weight on your chubby little legs when we stand you in our laps. Also, if I have you propped up against my legs you grab on to my fingers and try to do a little "baby crunch" which I think is your attempt to use those stomach muscles to pull yourself up. I know that's a ways off but you're getting SO strong and so alert.

Every month that goes by I fall more in love with you. I love watching your personality come out. I would say that you are a happy baby. You're like your daddy, if your belly is full and you are clean and dry you are good to go! I can't wait to spend another month together--I am also excited for our summer adventures. I bought you a swimsuit and sun bonnet today--so we are all set! Love you to the moon and back. Keep getting big and strong and I'm going to do my best to slow down and enjoy you :)

Loves of my life

Had to post a cute pic of my beautiful baby and beautiful puppy. They just make my heart overflow with love. After all the tragedy that has taken place this week I know how truly blessed I am. Love my babies so much :)

Currently

Loving: My sweet Clara Jane, my husband, and my puppy dog. Also the beautiful weather we've been having recently.

Reading: Some stuff for school (well kind of, but not really, ha!) and still trying to read Safe Haven and now browsing some of the Doula readings as well.

Watching: Husband has Survivor on, but I'm not into it. Rather be finishing Dance Moms (don't judge!)

Listening to: I currently love "Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake and "Highway Don't Care" by Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift

Thinking about: Sleep. Hoping baby girl and I both get a good night's rest. Also, hoping to have a good finish to the week and that the next 6 weeks go by fast! Ready for summer break and spending days at the pool with sweet Clara.

Looking forward to: Pool Season! Also, my best friend's wedding shower this weekend. And the weekend in general :)

Making me happy: My beautiful family. Life. Life truly is precious and after all the tragedies we read about on a daily basis I am happy to be alive and well and attempting to make the most of every day God has blessed me with.

Clara's Photo book

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