April Photo Dump

Here we are again! Another month has passed since I've last blogged and I don't know where time has gone. It is so fun watching Claire grow and learn new tricks, my oh my, how fast they learn!

I'll be back soon with another post with some May updates... I have some cute videos :)

4/1/16: Remember this fb post?? Well yeah, she has maybe only rolled from tummy to back again one other time since then. She hates it! Ugh. I've let her cry it out time and time again, hoping she'll roll over and figure it out again. But geesh. I've given up. I usually end up saving her. She is stubborn. Or lazy. but I can't stand the crying.
Claire = 1, Mom = 0

 4/5/16: Trying out her snowsuit!! haha.... let me explain. I needed a solution for camping and what she would sleep in since she can't sleep in a sleeping bag, I found the perfect solution while spontaneously stopping in at BabyGap with my mother-in-law (just to drool over all the adorable clothes which I refuse to pay their prices for, ho hum). A snowsuit! ...on clearance for $12! Actually, it might be a little too warm... so I also have a lighter alternative. It's a 12-month size... so it's a little big, but if we don't use it for camping, she can use it next winter :) and she loves it!! haha

Sorry for the video being sideways...



4/5/16:  She still does this a lot... gotta have 2 fingers in her mouth at once!

 

4/10/16: Michelle & Luca came to visit us for a few days. Luca loves his Baby Claire time :) Michelle gave us Luca's old bouncer and Claire LOVES it. Michelle's just trying to clean out her house and clutter up mine!! *ahem*

Bff's!

4/15/16: Trying out my baby carrier with Claire while cooking dinner. She's been in it a few more times since then and she really enjoys it, even falling asleep in it once.

4/15/16: The week she learned how to scream! Here's a different video than the one I shared on FB. Just some more vocalization :) She's starting to add consenants and will talk up a storm in the back of the car with her toys! Ross & I usually get a good laugh, wondering what it is she's saying...

I'll share this video since it's not sideways ;)




4/16/16: "Sorry ma'am, I'm gonna need to see some I.D." Oops.

4/18/16: Trying out her new bathing suit!! She was only fascinated with the tutu and just wanted to eat it.  I guess whatever keeps her entertained, lol. I can't wait to take her to the beach (aka Lake Erie) this summer and to our neighborhood pool! I'm considering baby swimming classes right now and can't decide if it's worth the cost?!

4/20/16: Looking cool in her new shades. Unfortunately they only stay on for about .7 seconds until she rips them off so she can eat them!

4/27/16: Some naked time after her bath. Some days we get restless so whatever entertains her, goes.

4/30/16:  Helping to wash the car?! No. Sleeping on the job. Thanks kid.

*Kristin*

March Photo Dump

Well here goes my last 30-day dump of photos and catching up :)

Friday, 3/11/16. Dinner at Outback Steakhouse with Ross for my last day of work at Southern Company... for now!

Long story short, but back when Ross & I made the decision to move north, my boss agreed to let me stay on as an employee until after maternity leave, so I could get my maternity leave benefits. Never in a million years did I think they would do that for me. But in the long run, they don't typically support employees full-time telecommuting. So basically, they asked me to resign and come back to work for them as a contractor instead. Sounds like a great plan to me!! Except for the small print that says 'when an employee resigns, they must be separated from the company for 90 days.'  So that's the story of why I'm home again full time with Claire. Hopefully in June, when my 90 days is up, I will get to return as a contractor. It would be a dream come true to work from home full time doing a job I loved. So fingers crossed :) Until then, I'm trying to make the most of my time at home with Claire.

3/13/16: Claire in her swing. I walk away only to come back and find her flopped over. oops! I've since started buckling her in, haha.

3/14/16: One of our weekly daily(?!) shopping trips to Target. On this day, I found the perfect bunny ears for her Easter photos that we tried out in the store!! Yippee.

 

3/24/16: Claire was supposed to help me pack for our Easter weekend to Pgh but she fell asleep on the job. Thanks kid. 

3/26/16: Easter Weekend was a whirlwind for us. We got to see both of our families along with my group of friends and Ross' group of friends!! It was a great weekend. Claire was a champ through most of it. She had a few meltdowns thanks to not getting enough naps, but for the most part, Ross & I are getting better at knowing when the meltdown will ensue and how to prevent it :) Easter day she was pretty much done with being passed around to people and was pretty cranky all day (except for these morning photos in her Easter dress). I don't blame her though, it was a busy weekend with a lot of new people and not enough time to relax and nap!

 

Quick family photo before our Easter day began:

 

 

Photo at my grandma's house for Easter: 

Not often we get a family photo! Next time I'll remind us to not face the sun... Seth was the only one smart enough to cover his eyes! lol

Testing out Claire's bouncy seat!! haha My MIL bought this for Claire to use Easter weekend but Claire is still just a bit too small/too young for this. So we practiced with Dakota instead :)

3/28/16... Claire's 4-month checkup. She's 13 lbs. 9 oz. (42nd percentile) and 26" long (95th percentile). She's long and lean :)

Happy before the shots...

3/29/16... I have to remind myself that babies can be quite cranky the day after vaccinations. This day was no exception. Geesh.

And that's my photo dump for March. Hope you enjoyed!

*Kristin*

New Routines

Oh how life has changed (I think I say that every time?!)! Claire is 12 weeks today, I started back to work last week and am working from home again, and Claire is now being watched during the day by a lady down the street.  Maybe I'm a bad mom because I really love being back at work and don't feel guilty having someone else watch Claire during the day. Claire's babysitter is also watching 3 boys (a 15 mo. old, and 3 & 4 yo brothers) and I love knowing that Claire will have some playmates! I do miss her though and look forward to 5:00 when I can pick her up! I think of it as quality time spent with her now as opposed to quantity. And that's what works best for us right now.

Anyway, here's a little recap of our past month. I don't post many pics on FB these days, more so from forgetfulness... so here's your dose :)

1/25/16... Sleeping while I make dinner.

1/25/16... It was warm and sunny out, so we took a walk to Lake Erie. It's 0.8-miles down the road from where we live! Of course, you put this girl in her carseat, and she falls asleep! The lake was beautiful and half frozen over.

1/26/16... Claire's 2-month appointment. She was happy the entire time... until they gave her 3 shots. Ouch :(    ...11 lbs. 9 oz., 23"

2/3/16... Sometimes the crying is too much to handle. So instead of consoling her, I take pictures...

...and then she's happy again playing in her MamaRoo. Talk about mood swings.

2/4/16... Cuteness overload this day while she was playing. She was all smiles and arms flailing for those toys above her.

 ...and of course, trying to eat her hands.

Last week, I had to fly down to Birmingham to get reinstated at work before I could begin working again after maternity leave. So Ross, Claire and I flew down Wednesday and came back last Saturday. I was all nerves planning for this trip. How would Claire do on the flights? When would I feed her during all of the travel? How do you possibly nurse in public while trying to maintain as much privacy as possible? How would I pump at work? etc. etc. etc. A million thoughts ran through my head and I had Plan B's, C's and more like a maniac. All in all.... the trip couldn't have gone better!!! Once again, Claire proves to us that she is such an easy baby (aside from nighttime fussiness) and goes with the flow. She must take after her dad's laid back personality!

Ross & I opted not bring the carseat or stroller. I love packing as minimally as possible and with her size, we figured it would be just as easy to carry her through the airport in my wrap, and rent a carseat with the rental car. Best decision ever to not have to lug that stuff (at least for this trip)! I fit all of our items in 2 carry-on suitcases and 2 bags. Go me!

Claire ended up sleeping on all 4 flights! (2 down to Bhm, 2 back). It couldn't have gone better!

**Sidenote: Claire slept in the wrap on the first flight. Apparently this is against FAA regulations to have them in the wrap during take-off and landing. No one said anything the first flight. So the other flights she just slept in my arms while I held her.

One her first flight, the flight attendants and pilot signed a little card for Claire's 'First Flight' that they handed to us when we got off the plane. It was adorable and I can't wait to add it to her babybook!!

The 2nd flight was the only flight where she was awake for a bit. I played with her rattle with her for 40-minutes. She was all smiles and really trying to eat both of her hands. Guess that's a lot of work because she slept the remainder of the flight :)

More smiles during her playtime...

Almost conquered eating both fists...

Flight #1 coming home. Asleep already!  And lucky for us, none of our flights were full so we were able to keep our middle seat empty and spread out a bit :)

Dressed in her dachshund hoodie and ready to meet my coworkers!! She put on a good show and was all adorable and good and well-mannered. Yay!

 This is how Ross babysits during the day in the hotel while I was at work. I can't blame him, haha.

Asleep at the restaurant while Ross & I ate dinner. I've decided that hoods with ears are the cutest thing ever! I must buy more!! More.HOODS.WITH.EARS!!!

Overall the trip went smoothly! Though I did have a few casualties along the way...

Casualty #1, I left my coat behind on the first flight. Whoops! Good thing I didn't forget the baby *wink wink* A coat can be replaced so I didn't fret too much. Though I did like it :/  darn.

Casualty #2, left my corporate credit card at the restaurant for dinner the first night in Bhm. Luckily they had it when I called to inquire about it the next day and I swung by to pick it up! *whew* Disaster averted. 

Casualty #3, lost the copy of Claire's birth certificate for our flight coming home. I nicely exclaimed to the Travel Lady at the counter checking us in "You can clearly tell she is under 2 years of age!" but she said is was procedure. Anyway, she let us go without charging us for a ticket, but said we would need the copy next time we fly to Bham or we would be charged for Claire to have  seat. Yikes.

I blame all 3 incidents on my 'Mom Brain.' That's a thing, right?!
 

2/15/16... And lastly, I teased Ross that he didn't buy his daughter her first Valentine's flower. So the next day he came home with a flower he received earlier that day at work. Kind of cheating. But whatevs. I'll take it :) And Claire tried to eat it.

So that's it! I've now officially survived Claire's first 12 weeks. I've heard those first 12 weeks are the toughest (I hope!). It's.ALL.A.BLUR.  It's exciting, testing, scary, thrilling, rewarding, and more. All emotions rolled into one. I wouldn't change it for the world. But I can't wait to see what is to come...

*Kristin*

What it's Like...

I shared this article on fb and it really hit home. She could've pulled those words straight from my mouth.

I've been so blessed to get maternity leave, especially at a time when I had to leave my job and move 800 miles north. My employer was nice enough to realize how hard I had worked the past 3 years and thought I still deserved my benefits. Better yet, my company started dolling out PAID maternity leave this year. So I am forever grateful to have the opportunity to have some time off.

But aside from that, some days, it's hard. Down.right.hard. It's been 8 weeks now. I go stir crazy during the day. Being home all alone. Going through the same motions with Claire -- feed, play, rest, repeat. Many days it's just feed, play, feed, play with no rest in between. Her schedule is unpredictable. I look forward to 5:00 when Ross gets off of work and I can pass her off. Yes, I feel awful. But I need a break.

I know he's had a long day at work. Everyday is frustrating for him at a job he's not particularly loving and losing battles left and right with his managers. They are asking more of him than any human could ever accomplish in one week of work. So yes. Ross needs a break too when he walks in that door but I'm turning selfish and resentful. So I hand her off for however long I can. But then she starts crying again. Back to me it is for another feeding.

I know one day I'll look back and miss this time. But no one prepares you for how lonely it can be. Especially in a town where we haven't made any friends yet where I could just meet someone for a quick lunch, and a quick escape from the monotonous routine.

I always try to stay optimistic but sometimes it feels good to just throw your hands up in the air and curse out loud. Then cry. Then rationalize a glass of wine at 3:00 in the afternoon...

*Kristin*


**Don't worry, I'll be fine. Just needed to vent! I know many of you can probably relate, and that, right there, is helpful.

Claire - 6 Weeks Old

Baby Girl is deciding to sleep.all.day today! Not sure if that's a growth spurt, or what's going on, but it's giving this mama a nice break for once! So let's catch up :)

Claire is 6 weeks now and I'm looking forward to the day that we can have some routine back in our lives. At least a vague, flexible routine. She is still young after all.  At Claire's check-up last week, Claire's pediatrician recommended that it might be time to move her into her crib in her nursery. I gladly welcomed the change after realizing these past few weeks just how hard it is to get some good sleep with a newborn in your room! All of their cute little coo's and aah's in their sleep is actually very disrupting, haha. I would wake up to every.tiny.sound. So yes, it was time to move her. Luckily, the transition to her crib went better than expected. (Again, another big milestone that had me greatly worried, showed to be barely a speed bump with our girl!!)

So her current routine, if any, is that she goes to bed around 11pm every night (I'll work on moving that up a bit, I've tried a few times to put her down earlier without success) and sleeps for about 3-4 hours before waking for a feeding. After that, she'll sleep anywhere from 1-hour increments, to 3-hour increments, until we finally wake up around 9am for the day. Then during the day, it's extremely unpredictable. For instance, on Thursday, she didn't take one nap!! A few snooze's for 5 or 10 minutes, here and there, but that was it. I was exhausted!! But today? I can't get the girl to stay awake, haha (I'm secretly relishing the break though!). So even though our nighttime routine is slowly forming, I'm hoping over the next week or 2 to figure out her days. Especially since I'll be starting back at work in just a few short weeks.

I think reaching the 6-week mark is a big milestone for us. I feel like Ross & I are getting the hang of things and questioning ourselves less. Breastfeeding is going great and I'm getting the hang of pumping, when/if to give her a bottle, when to pack one when we're out, and when to stop questioning why she's cluster feeding again!

Of course, at the end of learning and feeling comfortable with one phase, there's always another to be learned! For instance, how the heck do people go back to work when they have kids?! I think that's why finding a routine is my next challenge. But thank goodness I'll be working from home and have more flexibility than most working moms, which I'm extremely grateful for. Ross & I found a lady just down the street that watches kids out of her home that we're going to use, so hopefully that'll work out. We had a great referral for her and I think she will be much more flexible than a traditional daycare facility. So that's our next phase/hurdle.

So that about sums it up... life with our girl. Exciting.Exhausting. Love watching her grow!

Oh, and I finally put her baby book together. It's adorbs! Ask to see it in person sometime :)

*Kristin*

Claire - 1 Month Old

I had all good intentions of posting a 1-week post, 2-week post, etc. but life got in the way. So here I am, posting Claire's 1-month update (+5 days :).

She has been such an easy baby for the most part! She mostly cries when her diaper needs changed or when she's hungry. And she's always hungry. She must get that from me :) I figure if she wants to nurse for comfort or hunger, who am I to say otherwise? Whatever I can do to make the crying stop! Breastfeeding has also been going so well and I know I'm fortunate to be able to say that. She also started to take the occasional bottle last week and got the hang of that real quick! Seriously, every time I prepare myself for a new hurdle and read countless articles on how to prepare for something, she makes it seem like a breeze. She really has been such a blessing!

She does have the usual nighttime fussiness which can be calmed by nursing and nighttime cluster feeding. But she's just starting sleeping in one 4-hour stretch when she first nods off! It is glorious! And then she goes back to her 2-hour stretches of sleep. But I'll take what I can get.

She had her 1-month checkup today and did so well! She's now 10.0 lbs, 22" (grew 1.5" since her 1-week appt). And she's finally growing into her head, haha.  At her 1-week check-up, her head was in the 92nd percentile, today it is in the 71st.

Ross & I have had such an easy transition into parenthood thanks to her being such an easy baby. I think the biggest challenge for me is realizing that running out to the store is no easy task any longer! I can't even imagine how people do it with multiple kids. By the time I get her fed and in her carseat, hours have passed. And carrying that carseat is no fun... it's so heavy, only to get heavier. Hmph.

And lastly, here are a few photos :)

Claire at 1-week...

vs today, Claire at 1-month (+5 days)...

The biggest difference I see from over the last month is that her face has un-scrunched, haha. She is definitely growing fast!! I'm so afraid I'm going to forget these precious moments.

She's not crazy about her hat today! haha

Another close-up from today:

Lastly, my favorite 1-week photo. Who doesn't look adorable in a big bow?! Double-chin and all :)

*Kristin*

Welcome Baby Claire!

It's been 9 days since Claire has greeted us and boy, how life has changed!!! It's weird to think that today is actually my due date :)  It's amazing how fast time is already flying.

I thought I'd share Claire's birth story, so I don't forget :)

Wednesday, 11/25
It was the last workday before Thanksgiving break and I wanted to wrap up most of my work items by the end of the day in case maternity leave was coming sooner than I had expected. A few peculiar things had happened with my pregnancy in the middle of the night, so I had a feeling that she was going to be coming that weekend! I even told Ross when he left for work to make sure he brought home anything he would need for the next 2 weeks (as he was going to be taking off time for when she arrived).

So I was trying my best that morning to work and wrap some things up, but at the same time, I was trying to clean my house in preparation for mom, dad, Michelle, Mike & Luca coming to our house for Thanksgiving. Mom was going to bring the turkey and her and Michelle were bringing all the side dishes! I was so excited for them to be coming up and to have a relaxing Thanksgiving meal! Of course, all along, we knew I might go into labor any day so it would be no surprise if we had to cancel.

After working a bit that morning, I called my dr.'s office to ask them about the peculiar incident in the middle of the night. They told me it was nothing to be concerned about. So I kept working. And cleaning. I was at my dr. appt. just the day before and was only 2.5cm along and 80% effaced, so there was def. progress, but it could still be days or weeks before labor! As the morning progressed, I guess so did my labor! Michelle and I were even joking about me going into labor that day, to which I assured her that I wasn't, and that Thanksgiving was still on! *famous last words*

Around noon, I called my dr.'s office again. I told them this time that I was leaking pretty steadily (sorry if this is TMI!! haha). I was going through maxi pads like crazy but didn't think much of it. The nurse's response? You need to go to the hospital now and go to Triage on the 3rd floor. *Uh oh* haha So I called Ross at work. Him and I had an agreement for the past week that I would only call him if it was TIME. I would not call for any other reason. So there it was. I called him, and he rushed home. I ran around the house packing last minute things into our hospital bag but I was still under the assumption the hospital would just send me home. After all, I was having no other signs of labor, no contractions, nothing. I even promised Ross McDonalds on the way to the hospital, but we ended up not passing it and I told him we would swing by when they sent us home.

In the hospital, they checked me, and sure enough, my water had broke! It's not a gush of water like they portray in the movies! Since my water had broke, they wanted to kick start labor with pitocin since the risk of infection goes up with there being no barrier there any longer.

So this was it!! I had left things unfinished at work and was not mentally prepared to have a baby!! haha

Here I am before things got real!...

We checked in to the hospital around 1:00 and had Claire at 9:27pm. The labor went smoothly with no complications. I cried for the epidural pretty much from the beginning. I thought I'd tough it out, but nope, those contractions are no joke and I have no tolerance for pain. Even with the epidural, I was still sobbing in pain between pushes. Luckily, I only pushed for 90 minutes and Claire was born! My doctor and nurse were exceptional and encouraging the whole time! I sobbed even after she was born, thanking the Lord that labor was over. How do people do this multiple times?!! haha

First family photo...

 

It was the most surreal moment, seeing her for the first time. I look back on that day and easily count it as the best day of my life. Claire was born healthy and passed every test with flying colors. She was 8 lbs. 4 oz., 20" and has an exceptionally large head, to which Ross & I already tease her about, haha. Her head is in the 92nd percentile! Claire's pediatrician gave me kudos to pushing this thing out. No wonder I still hurt :(

What we ever did to deserve such a blessing, I can't even begin to explain.

 

My heart be still. To see these two together is more than I can handle...

Ross has been such a huge help this week! He's done everything from laundry to changing diapers. He has jumped in to help in any way possible and I'm so lucky to have him. We are both obsessed with Claire and can't put her down! (besides right now, when I needed 2 hands to type :P).

Claire has been the easiest baby so far! She grasped breastfeeding almost immediately and things have been going smoothly ever since! What a relief! And she almost never cries. She really makes us feel like we have this parenting thing down, even though neither of us has any clue as to what we're doing. We just go with the flow and figure things out along the way.

As for her name, Ross and I really stressed about what to call her. Her nickname 'Baby No Name' was not going to cut it any longer, haha. We had a few contenders, but in the end, I couldn't get Claire out of my head. It's time-tested, vintage and sweet, exactly how I picture her. And not too 'cutesy' for when she's an adult. I had tried Claire Marie (using my middle name) but couldn't get over the fact that when swapped, Marie Claire, is a magazine. I loved the way Elyse sounded, so Claire Elyse it was. Neither name has any meaning, but that's ok. We purposely stayed away from any family names to not offend anyone.

Friday after Thanksgiving, we were discharged from the hospital. I apologized to every nurse and doctor in the hospital who had to work on Thanksgiving, haha. But none of them seemed to mind. I can't brag about the staff at the hospital enough, they were all so kind and helpful in those painful recovery hours!

Here we are heading home....

Well that was it. The biggest Thanksgiving surprise I ever could imagine! Now to get back to holding my baby before she grows up....

*Kristin*