Christmas Card Outtakes

We had good intentions to send out a Christmas card this year. They are way more fun when you have a cute baby to include rather than another Brad and Mollie picture. However, after a few attempts, I'm not sure Clara agrees. I thought these were too funny not to share!

I like to talk too much to stop to smile.

Daddy is way more fun to look at then the camera.

Bad angle mommy.

Happy but won't hold still..

Alright guys..I'm really done.

Our best attempt!

We will see if we actually get a card sent out this year!!

Four Months

I know we'll be saying this the rest of our lives, but I can't believe how fast Clara's first four months have gone. She is such a happy baby and we say a lot that this parenting thing is even better than we expected.

We took Clara to her four month check-up on Monday and her doctor said she looks great. She's still a tiny one at just under 10 pounds, but healthy and thriving.

She looks a little concerned here.

 

At four months, Clara loves to play on her playmat and have someone talk to her. I often catch her looking up at me smiling if I get distracted and look a way. She is starting to grab at toys hanging in front of her and when we put them near her.  

Just the last few days, she has started to roll from side to side looking for things. Not quite rolling over yet, but you can tell she's trying to figure out how to get everything coordinated. Clara is still not a snuggler - unless its bedtime, she likes to be spread out on the floor playing. She is starting to like sit on our laps and read books or just hang out for a little bit.

We love her little curl on the top of her head!

She had her first cold last week, and quickly got used to sleeping in her swing so she could breathe better upright. We need to find a night where we don't care if we get any sleep to break her of that habit :-)

We are all adjusting fairly well to me being back at work. The days go so fast, but I always feel like I could use a little more time with her in the evenings. I'm already looking forward to a couple days off over the holidays!

Happy Halloween!

Clara enjoyed a nice quiet Halloween at home. She wore her "costume" to daycare - a pink St. Louis Cardinals jersey. The timing couldn't have been better with their victory Friday night! We look forward to lots more fun Halloween nights with Miss Clara.

 

 

Go Cardinals!

Shh...don't tell Brad, but Clara told me she is a Cardinals fan!

Return, but not to work

D-day came and went. After a wonderful twelve-week maternity leave, Mollie was scheduled to return to work on Wednesday. I say scheduled because she hasn't made it back yet. She spent the weekend not feeling real well, and the brewing trouble boiled over Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. After a visit to the doctor and a CT scan, she received a voicemail from a very direct nurse. "Your appendix is about to burst." 

She received that news around 3:00 p.m. Wednesday. She did not actually head into the OR until around 6:00. Once again, Mollie felt like a "ticking time bomb." Her second hospital stay of the year was decidedly less joyful than the first. Thankfully, it was shorter. By 10:00 a.m. Thursday morning, we hit the road. 

Clara was heartbroken:

She was so distraught that she fell asleep ON HER OWN around 11 p.m. Wednesday night and slept until 5. Realizing she had not seen her mommy in eight hours, she whipped out her Blackberry:

Hi Mommy,

Couldn't wait to tell you that I slept until 5:15 this morning! Daddy fumbled with the bottle warmer so long that I got a little upset, but it was okay once I got to eat. I'm just chillin' in my crib catching up on email now. I'll probably go back to sleep soon.

Daddy stayed up doing laundry and working for a while, but I tried to let him sleep as much as possible.

I love you and can't wait to see you. Grammie is the best, but I love you most.

See you soon,
Clara

Mollie is, of course, a champ. She was ready to get out of that hospital as soon as someone wasn't looking. She refused all pain meds so she could feed Clara as quickly as possible. She left the hospital feeling better than she had when she got there. I learned a valuable lesson: don't mess with moms. 

What a Difference a Year Makes

A year ago, we were exploring Spain with some great friends...

 

 

Today, life is a lot slower, but still pretty good :-) 

I don't ever want to forget how wonderful it is to cuddle on the couch in the mornings.

Happy Girl

Today, I tried to capture a few of Clara's smiles on camera. Not the easiest task as the camera seems to be more exciting than mom. It is amazing how much one smile from her can make our day!

First "Tailgate"

We love Panther football in the fall! Yesterday, Clara got to experience her first "tailgate". We were not brave enough to make the trip to Ames with a 7 week old, so we watched the game at home instead. We had lots of good tailgate food and Clara did a great job of sleeping through most of the game and letting us watch. 

She did let us know she wasn't happy with the outcome!

Yes, we know her outfit is a little big...it was the smallest size they carried, and she had to be wearing some Panther gear!

Happy Weekend!

We believe this is our first weekend since Clara arrived without visitors, traveling, or something else going on. We've had a blast, but we were pretty ready to sleep in and catch up on trivial things like buying food. In no apparent order, here are some photos. 

Yup, that's a flying pacifier...

Newborn Photos

Our friend Ashley took some great newborn photos of Clara. She shared a bunch on her blog, but here are a few more of the images she captured. Ashley is amazingly talented and PATIENT when it comes to photographing newborns. Clara was awake for most of the morning, but Ashley was still able to get some good ones. Thanks Ash!

 

Clara's Room

This is one of those posts I planned to do before Clara was born! Now, four weeks later, I am getting to it. Here are a few photos of the nursery. We didn't know Clara was a girl until she was born, so it is very gender neutral.

Thanks to Kelsey and her craftiness, I was able to find a simple way to put her name up above her crib and add a little pink to the room now that she's here.

The dresser was one of our projects this spring. It was actually my mom's in high school. Here is very messy "before" photo:

Lots of sanding, a couple coats of paint and new hardware and it looks pretty new! We still have the unfinished desk if anyone wants it. We ran out of energy :-)

And because no post is complete without a Clara photo, here is a recent shot. She loves to sleep with her hands at her face or above her head.  

2 Weeks Old

Clara is two weeks old today! We celebrated with a trip to the doctor this morning. She's gaining weight like a champ. She's now 5 lbs, 4 oz, up 11 oz. in a week! That makes us happy, because she's gaining weight so well and because the doctor said we can let her sleep longer than 3 hours at night now :-)

Here are a few photos from the weekend. 

Hanging out with Grandpa Jerry

Ready to party in her party dress

4 Generations shot

 

We're Home!

Clara got to come home on Saturday! The doctor came in on Saturday morning and asked us how we felt about going home. We asked how quickly we could leave! It was great to sleep in our own beds last night and get to settle in at home a little bit. Here are a few more pictures!

Ready to go!

Chillin with Aunt Amy at home

Bath time and Panther Pride

Mommy & Clara go to the spa

Ever Loyal