End of an era...

I'm so sad to say that school starts tomorrow for me. I have mixed feeling about going back. In one sense, I'm excited to get back to seeing clients and learning more therapy techniques. (For those of you who don't know, I'm almost finished with my MA to become a Speech-Language Pathologist.) I have really loved my program so far. It's challenging and fascinating. I really believe this is a job I will enjoy and be good at. 

Initially, we were planning to start our family once I completed my course work and first clinical fellowship year. But, little did we know, the Lord had different plans for our lives! I have loved staying home and spending all my time with Claire! Now that I have transitioned from student to mother, I don't know how to go back. It feels like I have left that old life behind, and going back to school is like stepping into a past self. First I was just a student. Now I have been just a mother. To do both seems daunting! 

If I'm being completely honest, I think I am just lamenting the loss of any down time I have had. I have been so blessed to have a baby that sleeps a lot. This has allowed me to do things like rest a lot, keep this blog current, slack on the house work, etc. In the early months this was absolutely necessary as I healed and adjusted. Now, I know it's time to move forward, but I don't want to! haha! Please pray for our family: That I will be a good manager of my time. That Kevin will be able to adjust to his new early work schedule so he can be home to be with Claire while I go to school. That Claire will start taking bottles better. That Kevin and I will still have time to connect with each other. That Claire and Kevin's time together will be special. 

Thanks in advance for all your support!

Five Months!

Tomorrow Claire will be 5 months old! It seems like such a cliche to say, but it really has gone by so fast! Her week of screaming instead of sleeping has past. I think it was caused by the fact that she had a cold and was all stuffed up. I know when I can't breathe through my nose, I don't sleep well either! So, now she's back to looking forward to her naps and sleeping 11-12 hours through the night. Hooray! We really are so stinkin' lucky that Claire is such a good natured little one! I never imagined that she would be this happy all the time! Here's a few fun pictures to close out the first  5 months of her life:

Uncle Kristian and Aunt Taylor came to visit to take their dogs to the beach in Huntington. Claire and I came along to bask in the 80 degree January weather. And I learned that sand + big wet dogs + babies = logistical complications. I don't know why it didn't occur to me before hand. One of those learn by experience parts of parenthood, I suppose!

Claire and I watched the inauguration of President Obama together. I really enjoyed it, but her attention span for the historic event was quite low... she preferred to nap. 

I bought this fantastic outfit for her while we were visiting Kevin's parents over Thanksgiving. It was universally hated by the Lemoore contingent, but I LOVE the gold puffy vest!  Up till now it has been too big. But on Saturday it finally made it's debut at the US vs. Sweden soccer game we went to for Kevin's birthday. Nothing says Happy Birthday like bling!

totally not a fan of this new stage

Sitting up...

Well, not exactly! But soon.

It's been a while

So, it's been a busy month! So much has happened and I haven't been able to sit down and expand on any of it. Over Christmas my mom and I learned to make headbands for Claire and Lucy (my beautiful Niece seen below).

We rang in the New Year with friends. Claire was one of three baby girls there... all born within three weeks of each other. Here they are sporting two of the bows I made. 

The three little troopers awake to say hello to 2009. The other two kiddos actually slept for a portion of the night... but not Claire. Sleeping when there is fun going on around her is not happening these days.

This is Claire getting her new years kiss from mommy and daddy. There were horns and poppers going off and she was not having any of it! Over-tired and over-stimulated made for one unhappy little girl. But she got over it quickly.


In other happenings, Claire is growing by leaps and bounds. Four things that she can do now:

1. Laugh. She started doing it the day before we left for Christmas. It used to take a lot to get her to giggle, but not anymore. The other day I sneezed and she thought it was the funniest thing. Now she will look at you and laugh all on her own, as a way to initiate interaction.

2. Roll from her back to her stomach. She just mastered it this week and already I can't keep tabs on her. I look away for a second and she's rolled halfway across the carpet onto the tile. It has begun!

3. Sit by propping herself up with her hands. She gets better at this every day. Last week she used to topple over if she breathed heavily, but now she can balance and even turn her head from side to side without falling over.

4. Push her butt up in the air while laying on her stomach and scoot forward like an inchworm. She's going to be crawling soon (yikes!)

She is happy and healthy. She is just under 13 pounds now and seems bigger every time I look at her. She is noticing things around her a lot more. She now looks at (and reaches for) things that aren't right in front of her. She also is becoming more opinionated every day. She gets impatient and starts to fuss if she is laid down but wants to stand, is put down to sleep when she doesn't want to go, or if she wants to nurse and it takes me half a second to get comfortable first, etc. But, it's all good. I try and capture each phase before it's gone! 

Day Dreams

This morning I was laying in bed. Claire had drifted off to sleep while nursing, and was breathing softly against my chest. We laid there together, snuggled in against the morning cold, dreaming our dreams. I heard a group of children outside playing, gleefully chasing a dog. It occurred to me that one day soon it would be my daughter's voice I would hear. Then I envisioned her coming in our open bedroom door some Saturday morning, awake and not wanting to be alone. I imagine that I can feel her cold toes as she cuddles under the blankets with us, asks her daddy to tickle her. 

I am happy.

Who is this kid?

So, we go in this morning to wake Claire up because it is past 10 and we don't want her schedule to be too screwed up, and what do we find? She is awake. Who knows how long she has been laying in there awake and quiet? We walk in and she smiles a huge smile at us as if to say, "Hey, you're here, let's play!" I've never seen a baby that wakes up so silently and happy. She's so funny!