Sunday, February 25, 2018

Clara Irene: 7 and 8 Months

Combined monthly update, because #thirdchild. Also, in unpacking our boxes and beginning to hang pictures, I've realized I have no framed pictures of her. Our picture display makes it look like Noelle is the favorite. I'll get on it eventually, right?


Height and Weight: Not sure on her height, but I sat her on our scale the other day, and she was just under 15 pounds. Definitely growing!

Diapers/Clothing: She's mostly wearing six months size, but can also fit some of her 3-6 month things. I want to be able to pass those on, but if she still fits them, we're keeping them! Clara is still wearing size 2 diapers, and we finished up all the size 2s that were in the diaper cake my friend Kristi made me for the baby shower!

Sleep: Three nights this past week, she slept completely through the night! Two of the mornings she was up for the day at 4:45, but hopefully we're moving in that direction and maybe soon she'll sleep for at least 11 hours straight?? The last two nights she woke up around 3:00 for a feed and then went back to sleep until about 7:00. Naps are still super inconsistent, and usually last less than 30 minutes, although she did take one hourish long nap this past week! She sleeps only on her back, and spends basically no time on her tummy.


Eating: She's nursing the tiniest bit and then takes a 3 ounce bottle after each feed. She's a very distracted eater, and does best if we're in her room with the sound machine on. Otherwise, she's constantly trying to see what Noelle and Jonah are doing and won't eat for very long.

Clara has been doing pretty good with solids, although doesn't love the taste of green beans by themselves (can't say I blame her!) So I try to mix those with something sweeter. She does pretty well with the butternut squash and sweet potato mix. She doesn't seem as interested in apples or bananas, but definitely enjoys prunes. In the last two weeks, we've started giving her bits of shredded cheese, mostly because it keeps her happy and occupied. She loves picking up the little pieces and sticking them in her mouth. I've also started breaking up yogurt melts so she can feed those to herself.


Social/Milestones: She seems to constantly be teething with so much drool and hands in her mouth, but no teeth yet! She's solid at sitting on her own, and if she wants something in front of her, she'll lean forward as far as she can to try and reach it. If she can't reach, she'll cry until someone gets it for her or picks her up. Crawling does not seem to be in the near future. :)

She loves to smile at people, and will sometimes make as much noise with her little voice as possible, like she just wants to be heard. Thankfully she's doing well in the car seat and seems well past the crying every time we are in the car.


Likes: She still loves baths, and has been bathing in the big bathtub for a while now. She splashes around and holds toys. She'll easily spend 20 minutes playing in the water! She loves being held when she's awake, which means most of the day. Sometimes we'll go up to the bonus room to play, and she'll play with toys for 10-15 minutes. Thankfully some mornings she'll play longer while Luke and I squeeze in a workout.

Dislikes: Obviously sleep is still not a favorite, and when she wants to be held but mommy is busy makes her unhappy. Mostly she's content as long as she's being held!


Fun things: We've had two trips to the zoo, a visit from Nana and Holden, exploring as a family, MOPS meetings and Bible study, trips to Target, her first Valentine's Day, play dates with Aunt Debbie, and lots of treats with the big kids. And just yesterday (when she turned 8 months) we had our Pancakes and Pajamas party with friends!


Pictures from the last few months:

trying on Jonah's sunnies



sleeping at the zoo

cuddles at Dunkin Donuts

Thursday, February 22, 2018

The Zoo and The Factory

Clara's latest thing has been to sleep through the night, BUT she's been waking up between 4:45-5:20 FOR THE DAY! One morning, I put her in the running stroller and she joined me for an early morning run/walk and we got to enjoy the sunrise together. She also fussed for the last mile, but I kept reminding her it was her decision to be up for the day.


This morning however, she slept through the night and didn't make a peep until almost 7:00!! (All the praise hands!!) Thursdays are my rest day anyhow, so I try to "sleep in" but was counting on being up super early anyhow. When Luke's alarm went off at 6:30, I looked over at him and asked him if he thought Clara was still alive. (spoiler: she was.) She also took a 40 minute nap when we got home from running out to Target. We'll see how the rest of the day goes!

On Monday, Noelle had off for President's Day so we headed to the zoo. I told her and Jonah that I was bringing the stroller only for Clara so they would have to do a lot of walking. If there was any complaining, we were turning around and coming straight home. Since it was a holiday, we were there along with everyone else. But we were there for about three hours and Clara eventually fell asleep (it was a 4:45 a.m wake-up that day) in the ergo. It was close to 80* and Noelle and Jonah did a fantastic job walking around!


We waited in line to go into a bird exhibit that we walked around in for less than five minutes. But hey, learning to wait is a good life skill. And it was their choice, and they had fun watching the birds fly around them. When we got to the giraffes, which Noelle had been talking about for days before going tot he zoo, she went straight to the wishing well and then looked at the giraffes for about 30 seconds.


Right before heading back to the car, we stopped at the farm animal exhibit so they could brush the goats.


Tuesday was even warmer, and Jonah, Clara, and I met up with my sister-in-law and niece at a playground near them. Jonah had a blast climbing everything and going down slides, and Clara always loves watching all the kids running around. There's a train car at the park, so Jonah pretended to drive the train for a few minutes before we headed home.


Last week we got our TN license plates and driver's licenses down in a town called Columbia, and we decided we wanted to go back this past Saturday to see more of the town. (I mean, Luke had already decided we're buying an entire pie from the pie place we stopped in briefly.) However, Saturday was pouring rain, so instead we headed to Franklin to the The Factory. It's an old factory of some sort with little shops and eateries inside. They also have a farmer's market on Saturdays, so we walked through that briefly, ate some samples, and then headed inside.

We enjoyed two of the famous Five Daughter's Bakery donuts ($4.50 a pop, but so delicious!), and I got an acai bowl. The kids could see the bakers making the donuts and had a blast watching them. Noelle begged to do the paint your own pottery place, so that may need to be a future mommy/daughter date! It was fun, and I'm loving these leisurely Saturdays to explore as a family.

Ellie's Doughnuts outside at the Farmer's Market

Monday, February 19, 2018

Lately

A few weekends ago we headed to Barnes and Noble in Franklin for their story time which included the new Fancy Nancy book. Noelle was so excited and dressed herself extra Fancy Nancy-like just for the occasion. And she of course loved it, especially since she got a crown.


Afterwards we grabbed lunch at a pizza place (the cauliflower crust was delicious!) and then headed home for some downtime. Those quiet, family filled Saturdays are kind of nice.

thanks for the picture, Noelle!

We finally got to meet up with some of our wonderful friends who moved from MD to TN almost a year and a half ago. It was SO good to see them and catch up. The goal is to see each other once a month (at least!) I am so thankful for wonderful friends who love the Lord and who are so familiar with moving a finding a whole new set of friends. We love them!


We have the occasional warm day (well, my definition of warm means it has to be at least in the 60s and sunny) and we try to be outside for at least a little while on those days. Sometimes we'll go to one of the nearby playgrounds for the kids to run around and get out some energy after we pick up Noelle from school.


And even with MOPS, Bible study, and the once in awhile play date with my sister-in-law, our lives our much slower here than in MD. There's a lot less running around since we don't have to drop Noelle off in the mornings, and with Jonah out of school, there's one less place to be. Usually one morning a week, I try to get as much cleaning done as I can, and try to remember to throw a load of laundry in whenever I can. It is a game changer having our play room UPSTAIRS! All of the kids toys are out of sight (for the most part!) and not in the main room of our house like in MD. You can find Jonah, Clara, and I playing and reading up there on our slower days!


There is a Books A Million right in our town, and a couple of weekends ago, they were having a Harry Potter day. Noelle and Jonah both wore the sorting hat (Noelle was Hufflepuff and Jonah was Gryffindor), "played" quidditch, and answered some trivia questions to collect some stickers.


And our sweet girl who hates naps. On weekends, I'll sometimes nurse/bottle feed her to sleep and then just sit with her in my arms while I read or scroll Instagram. She's only little once and is already growing way too fast! I'm sure it's not helping the whole napping on her own situation though. :)


Noelle had another math test last week, and her treat of choice afterwards was froyo, much to Jonah's extreme glee (he's OBSESSED with froyo!) It was delicious and I spent way too much, but they enjoyed it. 


The end of our street just kind of dead-ends into a field. There's a sign posted that our city has approved for more homes to be built, but it doesn't look like that's happening any time soon. Jonah had fun showing me "his" rock collection and shooting his nerf gun into the grass. I'm sure come spring/summer we'll have to be careful of ticks and other bugs. But it is nice having that open space within walking distance!

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Valentine's Day 2018

Our Valentine's Day was sweet and simple, and done just right for our first one in TN. Noelle woke up excited for her Valentine's Day party at school, and I gave her a heart shaped pancake and toast with a heart cut out in the middle. This girl loves her holidays and was excited to celebrate the day!


Jonah, Clara, and I headed to my MOPS Bible study where Jonah played while Clara and I got to sit and talk about discerning the voice of God with other mamas. It was good, and this study by Priscilla Shirer has been good for me in the short amount of time I've been involved. When we got home, the doorbell rang and a bouquet of tulips was delivered to me. I texted the below picture to Luke! I love holidays, and the day to celebrate love is one of my favorites. Doesn't have to be romantic love, but I'm thankful that I have my forever Valentine. :) 


When Noelle was home from school, I told her that we would be doing a scavenger hunt later on for their Valentine's Day gifts. She begged and begged to do it then, but I wanted her to wait for Daddy to get home to join the fun! Of course it ended up being the one day he was stuck at work for a little bit longer, and by the time he got home with our pizza dinner, it was an hour later than our normal dinner time. But we got the kids focused on the pizza, and then started the scavenger hunt. It's such a simple thing to do with them, but they love it! They kept saying "oh thank you mommy!" Oh my little loves! We got them little toys from Target, which they of course were super excited about (and have probably lost by now.)

Noelle looking at their first clue

We also stopped at Walmart on our way home from school to get a few more things, including two heart balloons to add to our Valentine's Day decorations. They are still going strong three days later, and it will be a sad day once they are no longer floating.


I'm so thankful for Luke! We were trying to remember if our first Valentine's Day together was in 2005, which means 13 Valentine's Days with each other. And I think all involved pizza. :)


And my littlest Valentines. I'm more sleep deprived and frazzled than ever before (aside from maybe October-December of last year with all the moving stuff going on), but these three are SO worth all the crazy. And sleep is a non-essential, right?

Friday, February 16, 2018

Our First Visitors!

Last week we hosted our first visitors- my mom and Holden!! When my mom first talked about coming down to visit us after we moved, she figured she'd need to bring Holden since she watches him four days a week. I of course had no problem with this, and my sister, while sad to be without her sweet boy, was okay with a week to not be woken by a baby and to have some down time.


We headed to the airport after church almost two weeks ago to pick them up. Luke had rearranged the van so that Holden would be rear facing in Noelle's car seat, and we put her in the booster seat for the week. I was so excited to see them, and sat between Holden and Jonah in the backseat for the drive to our house. Holden held my finger, and I fed the boys raisins and M&Ms. :) That evening we ordered pizza, made a bunch of appetizers, and "watched" the Superbowl!


The week was fun being able to show my mom around Spring Hill, and see some of our "usual places". Aka Target, the library, our favorite playground, and the mall. Target we've been to a million times and the mall maybe three times, but still, they are our go-tos! We also tried a local restaurant that multiple people have mentioned called The Mockingbird. It was delicious, but the menu is pretty limited and kind of pricey. But still fun to try with my mom and 4 kids (ha!) I also took her to try a new coffee shop in town called The Fainting Goat. The drinks were yummy, and the kids enjoyed the cookies that were bigger than their heads.


Most days we kind of played things by ear and gave the babies naps as we could. Clara even napped for about two hours one morning. A complete miracle! Holden was on East Coast time the whole trip and was almost always up in the 5:00 hour. Thankfully my mom is an early riser, and I was usually up around then to workout.

Holden, Noelle, and Jonah jumped right back in to their love/hate relationships. Holden tackled Jonah as often as he could and Jonah showed Holden the joys of jumping off the nursing chair onto the cushion. The two of them would run circles around the kitchen island, and Jonah was well-aware that he was the "winner." If Clara was sitting on the floor, Holden would come over and lean on her in a giant hug. And one time he sat in her lap. Oh Holdy! When Noelle was sitting in the chair at the table, Holden would go over to her and lay his head on her and squeeze her as tight as he could. That boy is one big lover!

adventuring to Pet Smart after Bed Bath and Beyond for new towels!

Noelle's school also ended up closing for two of the days because the flu was so bad. When she went back to school on Friday of that week, only four kindergartners were there out of 13. (Thankfully this week it seems like things are back to normal!) It was nice having her along for some of our mundane adventures, giving her more time with my mom and Holden. Friday was calling for some amazing weather- 60s and sunny. We headed to the Nashville Zoo to use our membership for the first time!

Jonah observing a kangaroo

Thanks to me not being very organized, it took us a little while to get in to the zoo, but once we were in, we wandered around showing the kids the animals and pushing our two strollers around. We stopped for a picnic lunch, and then explored for a little bit longer before the two babies were starting to get super fussy. We headed back home, and picked up Noelle on our way.

The sadness crept in after we dropped them off at the airport on Saturday. The reality of not watching Holden grow up and seeing my mom whenever I want is tough. Thankfully everyone is coming down in June and I'm holding on to that!



More pictures of our fun!

show me your teeth

show me your funny face!

always cranky jonah

figured out we have matching onsies!

Friday, February 2, 2018

A Morning Snippet

This morning my alarm went off at 5:15 after being awake for about 45 minutes as the baby fussed, and eventually ate around 2 a.m. I hopped on the treadmill for my 35ish minute cardio workout of walk/running. My foot/ankle is thankfully feeling SO much better, and I've been easing in to running again. I've worked up to 1 minute walking/4 minutes running (no faster than a 10:00 minute mile.) It's slow, but I am SO thankful to just be moving my body again! After that Luke came upstairs, and we did the leg workout for 21 day fix. I'm definitely going to be feeling that tomorrow!

Miraculously, by the time we got back downstairs around 6:50, none of the children were awake yet. As Luke hopped into the shower, I sat down at the kitchen table with my coffee and Bible to grab whatever amount of time I could get reading the She Reads Truth devotional of the day. It's been focused on 1 Thessalonians, and today was about living in holiness. Not long after I'd been reading, I heard the patter of feet coming to find me. A sleepy "mommy" coming from my not quite 4 year old as he found me at the table and came over for a hug. He held a little matchbox car in his hand, and told me he'd found it in his bed. Matchbox cars have been his thing lately, and he has quite a few that accompany us many places.


As he went on the search for more of his cars, I finished up reading and whispered a quick prayer. Then Noelle came in wearing the mermaid tail blanket she got for Christmas. Always, every night, that blanket is her one and only blanket, and she stuffs a whole bunch of her stuffed animals down into the tail. We talked for a few minutes, and then Luke came out, and I quickly grabbed a shower while he was still home.

Super daddy wrangled all three kids, and got them all dressed for the day while I was in the shower and getting myself ready. After I did Noelle's hair, hugs all around, and a kiss, they were out the door headed off to school and work. Noelle excited about her Chick Fil A lunch; Luke off to work hard for our little family. Mornings are a lot calmer and less stressful with Luke home and able to help!

Our life has been quieter and slower since we've moved. We don't know all the things to do yet, and we don't have the friends to plan play dates with yet. Back to 1 Thessalonians, Paul talks about the importance of community- and I cannot wait to have that again here in TN. I know it will come, I know it will take time, but I know that God will provide.