Double Digits, Dang!

10 Weeks Today!

Claire is getting so big, but she isn't gaining a ton of weight so we keep watching her spit up because it's become more of a problem lately. I am now giving up milk and trying to stay away from acidic things like tomatoes (spaghetti sauce, ugh!!). She really has quite the personality. She absolutely loves when I stick my tongue out and make noises. She loves to smile and she lovesssssssssss to be held. Oops. Everyone told me you can't spoil a baby until over 4 months. I think since my sweet daughter is slightly advanced (kidding - it's been a running joke in the family) she may be at that 4 month stage already (again kidding). But seriously I think she's spoiled already and knows exactly HOW to get what she wants (usually Mommy). She's really good at it too, but she is really bad at hiding the fact she just wants Mommy, as she quiets down immediately in my arms.

Today to celebrate her 10 week birthday (again kidding - we don't do that) I decided to make her nap in her crib all day AND IT'S WORKING! Usually she sleeps in her swing during the day with it moving and music then I tip toe around (most of the time) to ensure a sleeping baby. Anyways I started this morning with her nap at 7:45am and it lasted until about 9:00, then I put her back down at 10 and that lasted until 11 and again she went down at noon. She woke briefly for her pacifier and I replaced it and she's still out, but it's only been 30 minutes, so I am holding my breath.

So we entered a photo contest for a free cloth diaper. Isn't this just the cutest diaper and the cutest little baby?!?!



Yesterday we were at Mim's and PopPop's meeting Daddy before he went to tutor. It was nice for them to see how fussy she can be. Boy was she a fussy pants yesterday. Clearly I think she has been bothered by the reflux she may have. So check it out when Mim's was chitchatting with our girl...she was very happy before and after!





And that ladies and gentleman is a milkfall!

STTN, what what!

Two Months Old...wow! I cannot believe how quickly two months flew by. We are now in October with the leaves changing all sorts of pretty colors and our beautiful baby girl just slept through the night for the longest time yet. Last night we went out to Mimi & PopPop's to eat dinner with Grandma RoRo and Claire was living up to her most current nickname "Nosey Rosey" and just couldn't take a nap there. We headed home around 8:45 and Claire fell asleep in the car. Once home started our bedtime routine of bath, lotion, nurse, sleep. She took until about 10:10 to really be out in her crib, but it all paid off (as I was rocking her for a while with the dogs barking sporadically) because she slept until 6:45 am! WHAT! Yes you read that right almost 9 hours of consecutive sleep. I woke up at 3 am and 5:45 am wondering what the heck happened to my little girl. On top of the fact that my boobs (sorry for TMI) felt like they were about to pop.

So a recap to the week...

Claire went to the girls' soccer game verse River Hill on Monday (and slept 7 hours straight that night!).
Claire turned 2 months on Tuesday.
Claire went to her 2 month check up on Wednesday and got her shots (she slept about two 4 hour increments).
Claire slept through the night again this time the longest stretch ever (8 hrs and 45 minutes).

As for her check up Claire is doing wonderfully. She is a little peanut and not gaining a ton of weight so we are going to keep an eye on it and get in for a weight check at 3 months, but Dr. S was SHOCKED, literally couldn't stop talking about how well Claire was holding her head up. She kept saying babies shouldn't be that strong until 4 months. :o) She's so advanced!

Weight check in: 9 lbs 13 oz (up 13 oz in one month - low end of normal)
Height check in: 22.75 inches (she's getting longggg)

She is in the 24 percentile for weight and 65 percentile for height. Our little peanut.


And here's a preview of C's first birthday present for 8/18/12...it's a handmade Waldorf inspired doll from Canada named June. I love her!

I am drooling...

FIrst of all Pinterest is my new BFF during nursing sessions. It is sooo easy to scroll on my iPhone and hit Like...because I haven't figured out what "Repinning" means. I am obsessed. It actually almost kept me up last night after the 2:30 nursing session!

Second, I am drooling badly over these two recipes off two new blogs I've found and really like...
1st up: Bacon Chicken Dish yummm what's better than bacon and brown sugar.

And...for dessert: this yummy white chocolate funfetti fudge.

I will post a review when I finally get to making these two things! Tomorrow I need to make zucchini bread with the piece of zucchini I have in the fridge.

Freezer Style Cooking

Wow! What an afternoon. In between Claire's two naps I have prepared and frozen 6 meals!!! Yum!

I stumbled upon Once A Month Mom.com and it's AAAAHmaaazing! So then I just started picking an choosing recipes from there and other blogs and wrote up a grocery list.

Since Tim took off work today I dragged him to Safeway and we spent $200. The good this is now I have meals for the next two weeks frozen in the freezer. I still have two more frozen meals to make as I got tired standing in our tiny kitchen trying to cook, as well as, the fact we ran out of pots/pans and bowls!

4 Blondes and a Brunette

Looks like that's what our Brady Bunch will consist of...

Since C slept so amazingly last night, I got two 4 hour stretches and an hour and half extra this morning. Makes for one happy and observant momma. While nursing her this morning I was playing with her hair and found a blonde patch...literally blonde at the roots for an inch and then dark. Her new hair is coming in while her beautiful newborn hair isn't even falling out completely, yet at least.

So Tim will be the oddball out until maybe the next kiddo.

If I had to give one word to describe her...

She's 7 weeks and the most curious little bugger. She loves to be held. By me. Me only. For now at least. She loves to be inthe know and see everything that is going on. Her favorite thing is seeing new faces, while in mama's arms. She really just would prefer to be carried on my shoulder then pushed in her shoulder. Today we went to the lake to walk with old friends and their babes. Claire was fussy to start and settled down, and fell asleep on my shoulder as soon as I placed her there. She was an angel the rest of the walk.

Right now we are working on learning how to develop a sleep time routine at night and getting her to sleep at least 4.5 hours at night. She's done it once so far and I am hoping it will come again soon. Bath time routine at night is nice but often she needs a bath in the morning too if she spits up throughout the night. I am currently reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child right now hoping to find some answers.


Claire's Milestones:
At about 4 weeks she started smiling, but not consistently. At 5 weeks we got consistent social smiles! She's been such a doll. This morning while in the bassinet I rolled over to her waking up and just laying there smiling, cooing and perfectly content while staring at the movement of shadows. She just melts our heart.

Right around the same time of smiling Claire started telling us stories. Well that's what we call them. I ask her to tell me a story and she responds with "coo", "ahh", "goo", etc. It's adorable.

Last weekend Claire met her great grandma and great grandpa from Buffalo. They traveled all the way down here to see her and it was a fun Saturday!

She now loves bath time. We do it in the sink without anything. Just me holding her and she pushes the edge and sometimes goes under the faucet if it's running (that's the only time she gets a tad upset). She lovessss to have the water run over her chest with a washcloth and she just relaxes completely with the water from the faucet running on her head. Then when it's time to get out she screams bloody murder because she's cold, wet, and hates to be changed into new clothes cold and wet. She settles down as soon as mommy picks her up!

We've been consistently using cloth diapers now for about a week. I use the disposables when we go out sometimes, but I used cloth yesterday at the soccer game and it worked wonderfully. It's nice to let her bum breath in a cloth fitted without a cover during the day (it's intense to learn about cloth, but not unbearable). We actually just ordered a few new fitteds that are ADORABLE. One came today and I am in love with her new poop catcher, so cute! I will do a post soon about the cloth diapers and what we use / do with them. I am actually in need of purchasing new cloth diaper safe rash cream for her. When I go back and forth her bum gets red and the newborn poo is just soooo frequent!

The dogs have been great with her with the exception of barking at every person/dog/car that goes by during the day. They are getting better and she sleeps through it most times unless she's overly tired.

Now I am going to eat her up for the next 5 weeks I am off of work for because today she is SEVEN weeks old. She has changed my life completely and I have never been so in love with someone as much as I love her. She is just the best thing in the whole wide world.