Five Months

Happy New Year! I am a little late in getting this post up, but have lots to share.  Its been another great month. Clara continues to develop her personality.  She has a greatest gum filled smile.  We will pretty much do whatever it takes to get her to flash one.

Sleeping: Clara continues to sleep well at night, she is still getting up once a night most nights.  We have had a few other nights were she has slept through the night and then a few nights were she has been up two times a night.  We have been having lots of success with napping in the crib. Clara has been taking somewhere between a 2 to 2.5 hour nap almost every day!

Eating: We continue with breastfeeding, but are now doing two bottles a day of formula.  We have also a few food things, mainly mashed potatoes at holiday meals. No real interest yet!

Weight: We did go to the doctor on the 26th, so I can officially say that at 5 months Clara was 11 pounds 9 ounces.  She is continuing to do well with weight gain.  We were at the doctor just to make sure her cold wasn't more than a cold.  It was not and we are now all healthy again!

Clothes: We are solidly in three months clothes and quickly moving towards 3-6 months and 6 months. I love dressing her in cute outfits! I also have a small problem when it comes to shopping for her, I can't stop!

Firsts: Cutting down her first Christmas tree, first visit to Santa's Village, first visit with Santa, first Zumba class, first Christmas morning and opening presents, first trip to Chuck E Cheese's, first Christmas light display.

Likes: Taking tubbies, eating, playing (especially with all her new toy she got for Christmas), sucking on her fists, chatting.

Merry Christmas

Top: Clara with her cousins and first cousins once removed.
Bottom (L to R): Clara with her Nana, her Great Aunt Jean, and her Aunt Elizabeth

Just wanted to pop in and say Happy Holidays to you and yours!  Also wanted to share some pictures from last night at my parents Christmas Eve party!  Lots of quality family time, so much fun!

Top (L to R): Kate and Clara, Clara and her cousins Jackson, Parker and Grace
Bottom (L to R) Clara and Parker, Clara and her Pop Pop

The Dreaded First Cold

Hey All!  Happy Friday. We can't believe Christmas is almost here and thinking I should have started shopping earlier than yesterday, oh well!

Last weekend we spent some time at my parents house.  On Sunday we had a family Christmas cookie exchange and celebrated my sister-in-law, Kenlyns' birthday.  Clara helped to icing her cake!

First off, she is loving Christmas.  She loves looking at our tree and staring at the lights.  She loves the tree in her room and the nativity set that Carrie Loszewski made for her (pictured above).  She also loves Christmas music, which means I have been playing a lot of it and poor Rob has been suffering!  Oh well, he loves his girls. She also got from her Aunt Jen a basket of wrapped Christmas books to read every night that started December 1st and goes until Christmas.  Clara loves to unwrap and read them (or maybe I really love that part)!

On Tuesday, Clara and I went to my work meeting/Christmas party.  I will have to see if I can get some pictures from some of my co-workers.  It was good to see everyone. Here is a shot of myself and Clara!

When we got home she was very cranky.  She had come down with her first cold (just running nose and congestion).  The rest of Tuesday was pretty rough as Rob and I did all we could do to comfort a sick baby. Wednesday, was a little better, although she still just wanted to be held all the time.  Thursday she was a little more like her old self, however, her eyes got really gunky/crusty.  Today her eyes are looking better and she is definitely seeming to feel pretty good.  Lets hope we are on the mend.

Also wanted to update you all on our napping success!  Clara is napping in her crib everyday for somewhere between 2.5 - 3 hours.  Yay!

Sunday at Santa's

Hello All!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend.  We did. Friday night Carrie Loszewski came to visit and for dinner.  I made a broccoli and cheddar soup for us to have. On Saturday, Rob and I gave Clara a bath. Took some great pictures, will share those in another post.

On Sunday we met our friends Jayne and Mary at Santa's Village! It was a cold day, but we alternated between indoor and outdoor activities, so it didn't seem to bad.  Clara experienced her first rides - we rode Santa's Express Train around the park and then drove the antique cars.  We also took in two shows - A Tinkerdoodle Christmas and The Jingle Jamboree.

We also took a time out to enjoy some goodies - we stopped in at the Sugar n' Spice Bake shop for a gingerbread whoopie pie for Rob and a gingerbread girl cookie for me.  We also enjoyed some freshly make doughnuts from the Doe-Nut Factory.

We ended our trip with Clara's first visit with Santa Claus.

Christmas Tree and Baptism

Last Saturday, November 29th was a busy day for this family.  We started the day with my family arriving around 9:30 for breakfast.  Then we headed out to get our Christmas trees.  This has become a yearly tradition in our family.  Everyone comes to our house the weekend after Thanksgiving and we go get our trees.

The first year we did it was three years ago, and we went to Windy Ridge in North Haverhill, NH. They do a nice job!  You get a wagon ride to the trees, once you have your tree you can head back to the barn/gift shop area to warm up, enjoy a cider donut, and a hot beverage.  Its a great place to go with young children.  Last year, we went to the Rocks Estates in Bethlehem, NH.  It was a fun experience, but super busy.  This year we were back at Windy Ridge, same great experience as previously, however, new added bonus for adults of wine tasting in the winery.

After we left the Christmas tree farm, we headed back to our house for a quick bite to eat and to change for church.  We got Clara Jane baptized.

It was very nice and I was so excited that my siblings and their families could be there to help us celebrate.

Thanksgiving x2

Clara got to celebrate Thanksgiving twice her first year.  We celebrated on Sunday, November 23rd with Rob's sister, Stacey's family and then again on Thanksgiving with my family.  Unfortunately, I did not do a good job of taking pictures on the Sunday or Thanksgiving really.

On Sunday, we traveled up to Maine to have dinner with the Wheelers.   We got there for about 2 in afternoon and had a nice time visiting with everyone before the meal.  It was nice to see everyone and we got to meet our nieces and nephew significant others.  Clara had a great time visiting with them all and enjoyed getting passed around.

On Thursday we got to my parents around noon time.  I am in charge of table decorations each year.  This year we went with a turkey theme.  I made cute turkey placecard holders with everyones names.  Once again, no pictures.  Clara did very well, except for a major blowout early in the day (so much for her cute Thanksgiving jumper).  It was a pretty wild and crazy day with 19 people there for dinner.

Four Months Old

Happy Thanksgiving!  We have so many things to be thankful for these days.  Not only is Clara 4 months old yesterday, she got to experience her first Nor'easter as well.  It started snowing here around noon time and went strong into the night (we got about 10").  We didn't lose power, but it did flash once.  Clara is definitely a very happy and smiley baby most of the time.  She is also very chatty these days and I am working with her on saying Momma. ;)

Sleeping: Clara continues to sleep well.  We had one night recently where she slept through the whole night, which freaked mom and dad out a little.  We kept going in to check and make sure she was still breathing.  I have started an experiment with napping in the crib, not going so well, but I have to admit that is more my fault.

Eating: this remains the same, mostly breast feeding with the two bottles that have the supplement added.  I believe that since her weight gain is going so well, that when we go back to the doctor at the end of January they will stop the high calorie formula supplement.  Its great to see all the rolls that she is getting!

Weight: This is not an official weight as we don't go back to the doctor until the end of January.  But we weighed her here at home and she is now 10 lbs and 6 ounces.

Clothes: Clara is now wearing 0-3 and 3 month outfits.  She is quite long (gets that from me - just kidding), so i think we could move out of these sizes quickly due to the fact that they aren't long enough.

Clara and her Great Nana (My Grandmother)

Firsts: Clara attended her first wedding this past month.  She danced all night long. She also went and met her great Nana this month.  She also came to the gym with mommy one Friday and had her first boxing experience! She also went on her first hike.  First Thanksgiving dinner with the family.

Likes: her play mat, getting her diaper changed - loves a little naked time, being held, funny faces - especially when daddy sticks his tongue out at her, car rides.

Happy Prematurity Awareness Day

Today, Monday, November 17th is National Prematurity Awareness Day and to recognize it Clara and I are both wearing purple!  My 32 weeker is almost 4 months old!

We are so thankful to the doctors and nurses at Dartmouth for their knowledge and support.

If you are looking to donate to any organizations this year, we would recommend that you look into March of Dimes, CHaD, or David's House.

This morning we also woke up to some real snow on the ground.  Hoping to get some pictures of Clara in the snow.  Her first snow!

She and I will also hopefully be venturing out soon to a local thrift shop in search of a puzzle for some craft projects I am working on.

Wedding Fun!

I would like to start off today by saying Thank You to the many people in our lives who have served or are serving.

So the weekend of November 1st the whole family attended my best friend Carrie's wedding.  It was held at the Enfield Shaker Museum and was a fabulous event.

Friday night was Halloween and the rehearsal followed by the rehearsal dinner.  My parents who were also invited to the wedding came up early and kept Clara for us during the rehearsal dinner.  It was nice to have a night out with friends and much merriment was enjoyed that night.

A selfie of the Bride and Groom and a group shot from the Rehearsal dinner!

Saturday was the actually wedding. It was a little rainy and cold, but still a great day.  It was so awesome to be there for Carrie and to get to witness this day.  She is so happy.  We are very happy that she found such a great guy to marry.  Clara partied hard, refusing to miss out on any of the events of the day.  She even found her way on the dance floor several times.

Congratulations to Carrie and David.  Wishing you a lifetime of happiness!

Today, I am planning to spend sometime going through Clara's wardrobe, as she is outgrowing most newborn outfits at this time.  She is wearing 0-3 months clothing quite well and will be moving into size 3 months soon.  So many cute newborn outfits that will be packed away to be shared with the next baby girl born into the family or friends.

This task won't be happening until after Clara wakes up from her nap.  Today is the first day we are trying napping in her crib.  She sleeps well in her crib at night but has usually napped in her swing or in someones arms during the day.  We'll see how it goes, so far so good!

Only made it 20 mins! 

Three Months

A quarter year old already, so crazy!  This past month has brought many first and new things for Clara.  It has been amazing to witness the changes in her.  She is definitely starting to develop her own little personality.  We have started to get smiles that aren't related to gas and Clara is really starting to focus on objects.  She is getting great control over her head and neck, and holding her weight when we stand her up!

 Sleeping: Clara is sleeping really well through the night, only waking once.  We typically put her down between 9-10 pm, she sleeps until 3-4 am, and the goes back to bed until 8-9 am. She also typically takes two naps during the day of significant length and then some little cat naps here and there.

Eating: Still exclusively breast feeding with the two supplemented bottles.  Clara is a great eater.

Clothes: Clara is fitting well into newborn and some 0-3 month outfits.  I love getting to dress her everyday in cute outfits and am now quite proficient at getting her in and out of onesies.

Weight: Clara was 6 lbs and 3 oz at two months.  She is now 8 lbs 5 oz, so she gained 2 lbs 2 oz. She is really starting to fill out and chunk up.  The only one in the family for who we celebrate weight gain!

Firsts: So many new things have happened over the past month, I talked about some of the developmental changes above.  Clara attended her first breast cancer fundraiser this month, did her first 5K, went apple picking.  She also got her two month shots and did really well.  She has also helped with wedding prep for the first wedding she will be attending this coming weekend. The Patriots also continue to be very important in our lives as we continue to watch football every Sunday! Clara is also a big fan of her play mat and has discovered she can stick most of her fist in her mouth.

Whirlwind two weeks

It has been a crazy two weeks. Many events celebrated!  Clara and I spent a week at my parents while Rob was traveling for work.  It was great to have lots of quality time with her Nana and PopPop. We went to my brothers Oktoberfest party, my friend Carrie's bridal shower and also visited my office to meet my co-workers. Also did lots of cute clothes shopping for the little girl.

This past weekend we also had a busy weekend.  On Friday we went with Rob to watch him record a segment for Loon TV.  Then we went on to Polly's Pancake Parlor for breakfast, after that we had to Windy Ridge for some apple picking, cider donuts and wine tasting.  That night we all went to Biederman's to help Sandra celebrate her 40th birthday.

On Saturday, Nana, Clara and I also walked in the Color Run.  It was a good time and we were quite colorful at the end.  Also on Saturday Nana and PopPop babysat for Clara so Rob and I could have a date night and we went to the Bruins game.  Not a great game unfortunately, but a fun night out for us!

Two Months

Wow, I can't believe that Clara is two months old today.  I also can't believe that we have been home for a month now. This first month home has been very action packed and Clara continues to thrive and do well. We are definitely starting to settle in to a routine.  Also we have been making more and more trips out and about!  Definitely much more proficient at getting Clara in and out of her car seat.

While technically Clara is two months old, developmentally she will be measured by her original due date. So she developmentally is a week and a day old.

Sleeping: Clara like any newborn spends most of the day sleeping.  She loves to sleep while being held or while lying on someone's chest.  We are still supposed to not let her sleep for more than four hours, but there have been a few nights where she has slept for 5 hour stretches!

Clara and her PopPop

Eating: We are still mostly breast feeding.  We have added two bottles during the day of breast milk mixed with neosure, to help Clara gain weight quicker.  Clara also gets 1mL of a multi vitamin with iron mixed into one of the bottles.

Clara and Polar:  these two are really starting to get along and interact more with each other.  Polar likes to give Clara kisses and can often be found guarding her.  Clara likes to watch Polar run around the house and play with Rob.

Clothes: We are putting Clara in Newborn size.  Depending on the brand some fit pretty well, while some are still quite big on her.

Weight: Clara was 4 pounds and 15 ounces at one month.  She is now 6 pounds and 3 ounces.  She is up 1 pound and 4 ounces.

All and all we have our good nights and bad, but I wouldn't change it for anything.  It's amazing how some one so little can cause so much change and so much love! Looking forward to seeing what the next month will bring!

Busy Weekend

September 17 - 23rd

On Thursday, Clara had an appointment with the doctors from Dartmouth.  The nice thing is that they do a monthly clinic at our pediatricians here in Plymouth, so we didn't have to drive all the way over to Lebanon for the appointment.  This was nice since it didn't even last a half hour.  They weighed her and measured her and all was good except her weight,  They want to see her gaining more weight, so they gave us a formula to use. She was 5 lbs and 10 ounces at this appoint, so she gained 3 ozs this week, since our last weigh in,  So Clara is now getting two bottles a day,  They would like to see her gaining between 30-40 grams a day, which is an ounce or over an ounce.

We were scheduled to go back in a few days to see our pediatrician to see how the weight gain was going.  We went back this morning (Tuesday, September 23rd) and Clara is now 6 lbs and 3 ounces.  So the formula is doing its job.  She gained 9 ounces.

On Saturday, we had my shower that was rescheduled.  It was a very nice shower, with an ice cream theme.  I love ice cream.  We got many lovely gifts.  Thank you to everyone who came, it was so nice to see you all.

Me and the Soda Jerk (my grandfather)

On Sunday, Clara and I were back south as my nephew Parker was baptized and I am the god mother.  It was nice to get to spend more time with the family.

Have realized that I don't take nearly as many pictures now that we are home.  Will work on that!

Fall is Coming!

September 10 - 16

This is Clara's third week at home.  It has been a good week.  Lots of first this week.

We had the visiting nurse come again on Thursday, the 11th.  Clara's weight is now 5 lbs and 7 ozs.  It is a gain of 3.5 ounces this week. The nurse said everything is looking good and that is our last visit with her.  It has been nice having her come these past weeks to hear that Clara is gaining weight and growing.

On Friday, Clara and I traveled down to Hampstead for a Bridal Shower planning/work session.  It was our first big trip with an hour and half drive one way.  It was a very successful trip and a vote of confidence for this momma.

We went grocery shopping this week.  It is very limiting on how much one can buy with a baby bucket in the shopping cart.  Luckily we can go shopping more frequently these days.  Also Clara doesn't mind helping out and carrying some of the lighter items.

She was all ready for the Patriots game this Sunday with her own Patriots onesie and our usually football watching friends who came over for the game, say that her onesie helped inspire a win on the part of the Patriots.

On Monday, we went for a walk with Kim.  This was our first big walk with the stroller and the first time I had to collapse and set up the stroller.  All done with success mostly.  We walked from the elementary school in Plymouth through the college and back.  It was a nice sunny day!

6 Weeks!

Clara is six weeks old now and we can definitely see her personality starting to come out!

Big news this week!  The visiting nurse came again on Wednesday and weighed Clara!  She is now 5lbs and 3.5oz.  She gained 4.5 ounces this week which is right on track.  Apparently babies should again an ounce to an ounce and a half a day!  Otherwise she is doing well and everything is looking good.  The visiting nurse is coming again next week on Thursday

We had a few visitors this week which was a nice way to break up our days!  Thanks to everyone who stopped by!  Also on Sunday, lots of the family came up to meet Clara and also to help my sister Jen celebrate her 30th birthday!  Happy Birthday, Jen!  Hope you have a great year!  Also Clara watched her first football game of the season with her dad, go Patriots!

Birthday girl, Jen!

We are definitely starting to get into more of a routine and settled here at home.  So far, Clara has only caught me unaware twice peeing all over the changing table and her outfit.  I am now starting to get wiser when it comes to changing her.

Clara and her cousin Parker (7 weeks apart in age)