Family Dinners

With each passing day, Claire becomes a little more integrated into our family life. (At first, she seemed to be more of a shocking interuption to it!!!) Tonight she joined us at the table for dinner instead of sitting in the corner in her bouncy seat. It was adorable. Claire stared at Lydia through most of dinner, and Lydia oriented Claire to the meal, e.g. holding hands during the blessing. It was so cute to see Claire looking around at her family and giving us the occasional smile. She didn't seem to be such a big fan of the casserole though.

Elephant Stampede

Thankfully the elephants in the circus animal walk were very well behaved today! Lydia really enjoyed seeing them, but she was also a bit intimated. I have to admit, I had a brief moment of thinking that standing that close to animals that large was really not a great idea.
Lydia waited very patiently for the elephants and horses. She also thought she was going to see lions going down the street. Personally, I was glad the lions did not participate in today's parade.
This picture of Claire was actually taken four days ago. She rode with us to see the parade this morning, but she prefered to stay in the van while Lydia and I got out for the festivities!!!

Pilates for Preschoolers

I feel like a real mom today. First, I adventured out into the world of grocery shopping with multiple children. Yes, I used the HUGE car-looking grocery cart that is so long it's impossible to maneuver a u-turn in the grocery aisle. Lydia "drove" the car, and Claire sat in her infant carrier as it balanced across the top of the basket...probably not a position endorsed by Safe Kids. Lydia whined and cried through most of the grocery store because I bought yogurt. "No yogurt Mommy. Yogurt back." She loves yogurt, so please feel free to explain why it's so repulsive today. When it was time to check out, I pretty much had to stand on my head to twist around the cart to get the groceries out from under Claire. I have turned into the lady everyone avoids getting in line behind!!!

This afternoon my children have taken turns napping. Why consolidate efforts and have everyone nap at once??? That would be far too peaceful! So, Lydia was already awake when I decided to try my Pilates exercise video. I don't think I got the full benefit of the routine with Lydia sitting on my stomach and Sallie biting my hands and licking my face. There's probably a lot of money to be made on exercise videos that incorporate little helpers. Any ideas?

Crazy Life

While I was on the computer, I looked over to see Lydia putting the stethoscope on Claire so that Claire could listen to her heartbeat. A good mother would probably rescue her baby from her preschooler. I chose to take a picture.

The days are getting a little more predictable around here. Claire has been sleeping for 5 and 6 hour stretches at night and has a fairly predictable routine in the mornings. The late afternoon is still a difficult time for Claire, but we're surviving. All in all, we have a lot to be thankful for.

Snow Day-Round 2

I'm calling this snow day the great non-event. At 11:00 last night, the forecast called for rain/snow to move into the area around 4:00a.m. with a change to all snow around noon. Well...it's now 1:00p.m. and while there are a few big wet flakes in the sky, it is definitely just a rain event. I'm still hoping for snow, but I'm starting to accept that they may have missed this one.

On another note...Jim and I just returned from voting. I was voter #29. He was voter #30. Not such a great turn out, huh???

Snow Day-Round One

A snowman, a sled, and hillbilly waterproof shoes (Ziploc bags over tennis shoes) were a few of the new experiences Lydia got to enjoy yesterday. It's so rare that we have any substantial snow accumulation that we had to take full advantage of the opportunity. Lydia absolutely loved it! Her snow experience actually started Wednesday night when we got her out of bed so that she could watch the snow falling. Thursday morning, Jim took her out to build a snowman immediately after breakfast. She also got to try her hand at sledding in our backyard and throwing snowballs. Lydia was quick to learn that it's really fun to throw them at your parents!! She also had a chance to play in the afternoon, and at the end of the day, she and Jim built another mini snowman on our deck. It was exciting to see her learn about another wonder from God's creation.

Claire didn't seem to notice!!

The Babysitter

Wouldn't it be nice if Sallie really was responsible enough to babysit my children? I'm pretty sure Sallie thinks she's fully qualified to take care of every member of the family. She's loyal, mature (49 years old in dog years), and protective. Unfortunately, she also is loving to all strangers who come to our door, and she lacks the opposable thumb to dial 911 and hold a bottle.

First Smiles

What a sweet and rewarding day! Claire finally smiled at me. Just last night I was asking Jim if we should be worried that Claire had not yet smiled. All the books say it should happen around the end of the first month, and Claire's first month ended 5 days ago! Ha! My poor children.

In addition to giving me some feedback that I mean more to her than just an occasional snack, Claire also allowed us to sleep for 4.5 hours last night!!! Yahoo! I have the energy to take on life's greatest challenges today...meaning cleaning my bathroom. She probably read my last blog entry, got embarrassed, and decided to prove me wrong.

I'm also really enjoying watching Lydia practice her nurturing skills. She's the best baby doll mother ever as long as you ignore the way she swings her baby doll (rocking in Lydia's mind) and bangs her head on the cabinets. It's hilarious to watch her using all of Claire's baby gear, but the most precious sight is when Lydia helps us take care of Claire. She talks to her, gives Claire her pacifier, and tries to comfort Claire when she's crying. Lydia also hates it when I put Claire in the crib for a nap. I'm not sure if that's because she misses Claire or because it usually means naptime or bedtime is also coming for Lydia.

Exhaustion

Every three hours. That's our feeding schedule for Claire. It's amazing to me how her little body keeps time more reliably than the most expensive Rolex watch. At three hours exactly, she wakes from her nap and demands to eat again. When she was first born, I thought she was doing great to space her feedings out for three hours. Now, I'm wondering when she'll eat with less frequency so that I can get a decent stretch of sleep!!!! (Yawn and big sigh.) In the grand scheme of things, this phase will pass more quickly than I want, at least that's what I tell myself!

One Month Old

Claire is one month old today. What a big girl! In addition to gaining one pound over the last month (she's now 9lb, 1oz), Claire has achieved some major milestones.

* She can roll from her belly to her back. It's been witnessed three times now. She still may not intend to roll over, but once she gets rocking, there's no stopping.

* She is able to raise her head off the ground when she's on her belly.

* Visually, Claire can focus on faces that are about a foot away, and she can track movement to the left and right with her eyes.

* She is now allowed to take baths since she finally lost her umbilical cord.

* Finally, she's a really great sleeper and sometimes goes more than four hours between feedings. Unfortunately, however, her best sleeping is still done in the daylight. We're hoping that changes in time for the two month report!

Bye Bye Christmas

Happy New Year! Today we (mostly Jim) started the process of de-greening our home. I'd love to say we finished the task, but that's close to impossible when you have a two year old "helper" and a forever hungry infant. Lydia thought it was great fun to wear her mittens and hat and help remove garland and wreaths while playing outside. She also thought it was exciting to go through the boxes I had finished packing and pull out soft Christmas pillows and soap dispensers. It may be July before we finish putting this all away. However, she was not excited that we removed our Christmas tree.

Packing up Christmas decorations is always bittersweet to me. I miss the glitter and excitement of the holidays, but I also enjoy the fresh and clean feeling of getting rid of the clutter. This is also the time of year that home improvement starts to stir in my mind. Our exterior trim needs new paint. Hmm....