It's a magical age

Oh how I love my little Clare Bear.




She loves all things girly. Princesses, dress up, baby dolls, jewelry, make up...pink.

2 1/2 years old and she already talks my ear off. Her happy chatter makes my day though.





Tonight at bedtime she said, "Sing me a song, Momma," as she wrapped her sweet little arms around my neck. "A song about kitties."

So I did. :)





Can I just bottle these days up and make them last forever????

She thinks she is so big

It's been a busy spring. I have missed posting, recording tidbits from our fun little life. We put our house on the market, sold it, had the whole family come for a visit, moved to a new home (crazy, crazy move...long story), all the while keeping up with family birthdays, date nights, baseball games, VBS, swimming lessons, family weddings, etc...

In the midst of the chaos, my baby turned 1.

She is walking now, just in time for her cousin's wedding. It's such a funny walk...very wobbly, but VERY fast. :) And she is babbling up a storm. No real words yet, besides Mama and Dada. But she has learned to sign, and combined with her "talking", she can communicate fairly well.

She's a very happy girl, almost all the time. Such a blessing to us all. We love you, Clarey.

Clare, 6 months

My sweet Clare turned 6 months a couple weeks ago! She is officially out of that tiny baby stage, which makes me a little sad! Here's a little update on what she's doing these days...

• The big news is, she is crawling!!! All. over. the. place. She is a crazy woman! And very proud of her new skill.
• As soon as she learned to crawl (which was last week, I think) she started sitting up without help. Now she goes from laying down to crawling to sitting. Which means, it is time to lower the crib, wouldn't you say???
  
• She got her first 2 teeth this month, the bottom ones.
  
• She loves to eat! Her favorites are bananas, applesauce, and those Gerber wagon wheels.
• She is no longer quiet in church. (Sad) She has found her voice!
• She's saying lots of consonants - ma-ma, da-da, ba-ba
  
• She nurses during the day, but takes a bottle before bed. And sleeps all night! Clare has been my best sleeper, I think.
• Last month at the doctor's office she was 17 lbs, 10 0z. Look at those thighs!
  

Fall Fun

Lil' Update

It's the fourth week of school, and we are settling into a routine, I think. As nervous as I was about getting everyone ready and out the door by 8 am every morning, it has gone surprisingly smoothly. Even with a nursing baby. She usually eats around 6:30 am, and then goes back to sleep until we leave. After I drop Ethan off, we squeeze in a quick feeding in the parking lot. And it works - she is very flexible, most of the time. I am so, so thankful for this!

Ethan's teacher is a gem - just one of the most patient, positive people I've ever met. She adores every student in her class, and is quick to point out the positive aspects of their personalities. And very, very forgiving of their wiggles and tendancy to chat. :) Every time I hear her talk, I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 13, where it says that love "believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things..." A kindergarten teacher is love by definition!

Each week they are focusing on one letter of the alphabet. Last week was the letter G, and Mrs. Jorgensen took the whole class on a walk to G's Custard for a treat! And today Ethan informed me that he had a hamburger for "H" week. Kindergarten snacks have really improved since I went to school!

I have been enjoying my mornings with Simon. Clare usually sleeps the whole time Ethan is at school, so he "helps" with laundry and cleaning, or we read or play together. And sometimes we get out the watercolors, but that is not always a good idea. :)




I feel like I've been able to get to know his heart a little better these last few weeks. It has been a special time, our mornings together.




And Clare is growing like a weed - she is the chubbiest baby we've ever had. Double chin, thunder thighs, and all that. Poor girl! :)

4 months

My little girl is growing...





All of a sudden, I'm not holding a newborn anymore. She wants to wiggle and kick and make happy baby sounds at me, instead of being content to snuggle in my arms. In some ways I wish she would just stay small - I have loved every minute of these last 4 months!



Clare is still loves to be on her tummy - whether she's awake or asleep. She can scoot around a bit now and get the toys she wants. And she adores it when her big brother will sit on the floor and play with her. She just laughs and laughs at him...it cracks me up - she already has such a personality!



Clare has been such a delight - I often find myself silently thanking the Lord for her little life when I'm holding her. The longer I am a mother, the more I am cherishing each and every moment. The Lord has truly blessed us!

She loves her sling

I am just so in awe of having a daughter. We are already having so much fun together, and she can't even talk yet! But she is just a ray of sunshine most of the time - her sweet baby coo's assure me that she fully appreciates the big bows, bracelets, and cute, girly outfits as much as I do. Hopefully that's what she's been saying anyway. Haha!

She's been sleeping a 7 to 10 hour stretch at night for several weeks now, and every morning when I see her sweet face, I can't help but smother her with kisses. What a good little girl she is! (on a side note, perhaps this has something to do with why my middle child can't keep his lips off her? Just modeling my behavior!!!!)

Without the nighttime feedings, I should be rested and back to my old self, but I'm not quite there yet. Since her birth, we've packed the summer full with traveling and get-togethers with friends and family. Every bit of it worth it and FUN! But exhausting too...sometimes you just have to slow down a little.

So that's our plan...Dave is taking next week off, and we are sticking close to home. Our plan is to play with the kids. Relax. Eat yummy food. Sleep in. Watch movies. Swim. Snuggle our sweeties.

I cannot wait!

Love this girl

2 months old and couldn't be sweeter...

6 weeks

Clare is almost 6 weeks old now. She is fitting into our family so well that it seems like she's been around a lot longer than that! I would say that she's the easiest baby ever, but I am still waking up pretty tired in the mornings... :) But really, she is a gift! I can't complain when she's really only up once to eat in the middle of the night. From birth, she's been this way!




Clare would prefer to sleep on her tummy (as have all my children), so for now she is doing a lot of sleeping in the swing. She is currently snuggled up in bed with me, with my comforter pulled to her chin. I'm breaking all the rules with my 3rd kid. :)

At this point we're not really sure who she looks like. She really resembled Simon when she was first born, same hair color and face shape, and she has the Renes chin, for sure. :) But she is looking more and more like her own person these days. I am guessing she will be blonde, but for now she still has some light brown fuzz.

The boys adore her, of course, sometimes a little too much, I think. The first couple weeks they were better about being cautious with her, but they are getting a little bolder now. Poor girl, to be picked up by a 3 year old! Scariness! The first time I spotted him, I about lost it! I must have gotten the point across, so now he doesn't pick her up. He just lays on her and coo's, no matter if she's asleep or not. I'm not a big fan of this (okay, so it's totally driving me nuts!), so we're working on it. That, and a few attitude issues too.

Theirs, and mine. :)

But all in all, the Lord has been so good to us, and I am trying to keep my mind focused on that. We'll get the kinks ironed out soon, and life will be back to normal.

Well, as normal as life for a stay-at-home mom with 3 kids can be...

Clare's room

Life is moving at such a fast pace these days, leaving me without much time for some of the things I love most. Like blogging. Yeah, that obviously hasn't been a priority! But I miss it, and want to remember these wonderful days. So I'm going to make an attempt to write a little more if I can.



Clare is a wonderful baby - she sleeps well, eats well - and well, what more can you ask?! At 3 weeks now, she has experienced a lot in her short little life - kisses galore from adoring big brothers, lots of walks to the park, 2 minor surgical procedures, a trip to Wichita, 2 graduation ceremonies, a trip to Colorado, our first trip to the grocery store with all 3 kiddos, and all of the other stuff that has happened in between. Her laid back personality (for now, anyway!) has made it easy to resume life as normal.




And I am so glad to get back to normal again! Those last few months of pregnancy were killer!





For now she is sleeping in our room at night, although I think that will change soon. Oops, just saw another thing that I need to catch up on...filling those picture frames!

The first week

10 days old - time is just flying by around here. And even though I've intended to take lots of pictures of her, my time is mostly spent just holding sweet Clare. Life is mostly peaceful and serene...and I'm soaking up the moments with my daughter.














The boys are enjoying lots of Grandma time, but she is leaving in a couple days. The real test will be on Monday when I am by myself with the 3 of them for the first time (as in, can I really do this?????).

She's here!

On Monday afternoon, May 4th, Clare Addison joined our family. She made a quick entrance - I wasn't even sure I was in labor when we went into the hospital, but a short while later, she was born. We are just so thankful to have her here and doing so well!

Clare was 8 lbs, 3 oz and 21 inches long. She was so alert at birth, but we have barely seen her eyes since. She likes to sleep apparently! (hoping this continues) Right now I am snuggled up in bed with her on my chest for some afternoon cuddles, her favorite way to nap.

I'll post more pictures soon!