Eight Month Check-In

Clara is eight months old! I thought it's time to update on her latest. She's practicing with solid foods. We discovered she hates purees, loves to feed herself, and prefers steamed veggies smooshed a little. Apples make her get that face of 'it's so sour' with one eye half shut and her shoulders shuddering. It's so funny. She's increased the amount of milk she can drink lately. I think it's due to her increased physical activity. She's scooting around and can go from laying on her tummy to sitting up. Busy girl!

What else. Clara likes to cross her ankles when she's sitting. She loves technology. Phones, computers, iPods, tv. Sometimes she says 'ma-ma' and 'da-da' if she's really upset or really excited. We're not completely sure she knows what she's saying. Her other new thing is grabbing one hand with the other and resting them on her tummy. It's very proper for a baby girl. :)

Clara got to meet her Uncle Merle recently. They were so cute together. Here they are in front of Clara's first Christmas tree.

A-Y-U-U and Kiiriq came to visit!!!

We're SOOOO glad, thankful, and grateful Tera and Matt came down to visit with their girls! What a beautiful time together. We so enjoyed seeing all the girls interact together. Ayuu was so sweet with Clara, always wanting to squeeze her face and kiss her. We sure had fun playing pretend, building things out of recycling, and crafting goods with Ayuu. One night Matt took Ayuu out with glow sticks and slayed dragons with them. It was nice to play out at night again! I smiled to myself later when we all came back in for a break, and Matt got up and said something like this to Ayuu, "Let's get our shoes on, slay some dragons, and then come in and go to bed."

Kiiriq was so fun to watch especially since she was so close to crawling! We were hoping she'd crawl here first. Clara loved watching her cousins and listening to them. And when all the fun girls would go to sleep, Matt, Tera, James, and I hung out and laughed and talked. What good visiting!
Pretty Kiiriq and Tera.
Swimming girl! Ayuu, you need to come back so you can swim some more!
Tera and Ayuu baked some Halloween cupcakes. I'm sad they're all finished.
The gang trick-or-treating.
The girls with their dad's.
Ayuu was such a good trick-or-treater!
Silly girls at the dinner table.

big fish

James loves to fish whenever he can on the weekends or at night. He caught a five-pound bass! No one was around to take his picture with the fish, so he stuck his toes in. :) He sure gets excited about his catches. First he tells me and then as soon as he can, he tells his dad, but only louder than when he told me.

Gained a little weight...

As they say...Everything is bigger in Texas. I put on a little weight!


I JOKE....GOTTA LOVE THE IPHONE APPS!!!!!!

Oh well...

Even though the Red Sox stunk it up at the end of the season, we're still fans.

A Home Project

We have two chandelier contraptions in the kitchen with awful lampshades. I searched for new ones that would fit and that I liked. Impossible. Well impossible for a reasonable price. Finally, we bought plain white ones from Ikea for cheap, and I painted them to kind of match other lampshades we have. 5 are done. 6 more to go. Here's the before and after.
BEFORE
AFTER

Dragonboat Race

James recently participated in a Dragonboat Race for work. I believe it was a fundraiser for YMCA. Clara and I followed him to the race and had fun being outside.Clara and I enjoying the sunrise on the lake...waiting for the races to start.
James in his dragonboat.
The race!
Clara and Daddy during a break.
Massimo and Clara in her sun-blocking hat. Clara really likes Massimo. She was smiling at Nunuk or Victoria.

Three Babies

It's not easy sitting three baby girls down for a photo! I realized how little Clara is next to the other girls. The other girls are Ella and Martina (everyone calls her Tallulah). So cute.

The Girls

Our co-worker and her husband have a beautiful girl near Clara's age. We try to get them together so they can play.Clara is really excited.
Let's hold each other.
Clara likes Ella's hearing protection. She's temping Ella to scream as loud as she can.

Football Saturday

Clara was happy to relax and watch Penn State football. Really. Relaxed.

I remember this one time...

"I remember this one time..." is how James started story after story when he took Clara and I to a pond he fished at all the time when he was a kid. It was lovely to hear each story and imagine him as a kid biking all the way to the pond to fish all day. While we were there we saw a hawk or osprey and a koi. Of course the camera died before we saw the bird. Anyway, it was a special time for James to show his daughter his childhood pond and tell us stories.One of the fishing holes James had as a kid.
Remembering.

BBQ at Paul and Bridget's

Clara so smiley.
Cousin Jonathan, Pal Adam, James, and sleepy Clara.
All the boys with their babies. Some without babies. It's funny because two years ago when we were at Paul and Bridget's, only a couple guys had babies!
The boys having a laugh.
Most of Instant Reaction, James' old band.

Introducing Clara to some Long Island Relatives

Grandma Lee had a nice party for Clara to meet all her Long Island relatives. It was so nice to see everyone!Clara can't believe she's got so much family.
All eyes on Clara! I'm blocking her in this photo, but I loved how everyone was in a row to see the child.
The girls. :)

Family Time on Long Island

We got to spend some time with the Long Island family. Clara met Auntie Jen and Great Bess for the first time! We did a little bit of everything with everybody.Bottle Bottle Time with Grandma Lee.
Laugh Time with Auntie Jen.
Bath Time with everyone!
Play Time with Auntie Jen and Daddy.
Great Grandma Bess time.
Fuss-a-Fuss Time with Grandpa Jimmy. Sorry Dad, didn't have a better one of you with your granddaughter. Just means you'll have to hold her more next time!

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Work took us to Halifax, Nova Scotia. We were excited to get out of the heat and enjoy some 70 degree weather! And it was awesome to be right on the water. We went for walks everyday we were there along the water and ate seafood and the "World's Best Ice Cream" at Cow's.Enjoying Cow's ice cream during a walk. It was a challenge jumping onto the big chair with the baby and ice cream...And if you're ever in Halifax, try the peanut butter ice cream at Cow's! Mmmmm...
James and Clara on the boardwalk.
James and Clara on a chilly evening walk to dinner. Thanks to Bridget for the hat!

Smiling Baby

Clara is a good smiling baby now. She even giggles. You can look at her when she's not smiling, smile at her, and she'll smile back! Clara has a lot of stories to tell, too. And she wants to put everything in her mouth. This weekend we tried ice since it seemed her gums were bothering her. She likes ice! It's funny now that she's older. She can communicate her wishes to us a bit easier. She might look at something now and moan for it. Or smile when something really pleases her. She laughs pretty hard at Otis. And she smiles at her bea (pacifier). She's growing too fast!Clara excited about her new little stool she's sitting on.
Daddy and Clara trying out the new stool.

Try

We let Clara try rice cereal last week. She didn't care for it the first time. The next couple of times she took to it a little more. We'll keep trying.

Pebbles Bonelli

This baby's hair is a bit unruly. First it was thick and stood straight up. Then it grew and Clara lost some hair on the sides as new fuzz was coming in. So she had and still has a square patch of long hair in the front and hair in the back that won't lie flat. I tried putting a clip in her hair to pin down the front, but the back sticks up like crazy! Then I tried a headband, but most headbands for babies are way too frilly for us. Then I remembered we got some hand-me-down bows. We now have Pebbles Bonelli living with us. She's not amused.
P.S. I haven't put a bow in her hair since this picture was taken. I had a good laugh that day.

Clara's Latest

I thought I'd give an update on what Clara's been up to...I feel like she does so much now! Posting about her has been a good way to document her life and remember what she's done in her young life. WHEN (not if) I get a baby book, this blog will help jar my memory. :) Now onto little Miss Clara.

We're excited she's found her thumb. It soothes her and helps her fall asleep and STAY asleep longer during naps. This is so nice! A few more minutes to relax for us or get things done around the house.

Bottles. She's been consistently good taking a bottle from James and I for about a week now. Taking a bottle at daycare has been another thing. She's only been in daycare two weeks and in both weeks, Clara has felt comfortable enough with the teachers to take a bottle by the end of the week. She's been refusing bottles at the beginning of both weeks. So hopefully after a few more weeks, she'll always feel comfy taking a bottle from anyone anywhere.

Sleep. Boy, this little baby can sleep a lot! She takes naps for hours at daycare and then is asleep by 9pm. Maybe she's going through a growth spurt?

Tummy time. Clara loves rolling onto her tummy! She likes to look around at everything. She props herself on her elbows or pushes up on her hands. Then she'll put her head down for a little rest and then push onto her knees and stick her toosh in the air. It'll be an exciting day when she can push up on her hands and get on her knees at the same time!

Baby hands. Clara wants to grab everything put in front of her...especially if it's in my hands. Tonight she grabbed my cup and pulled it to her mouth. Too big of a baby already!

Talking. Clara was gabbing away before my mom left, but lately she's favored one sound. I woke up on Saturday to her making this new sound over and over and over. Enjoy it below.

Get Ready for Baby Times

Baby Girl and Grandma enjoying Sunday afternoon...
Clara loves jump-a-jump-a-jump time!
She looks like she's mid-air during blanket toss!
Baby Times laying on a gorgeous quilt made by Valerie, James' ex-co-worker.
Baby Girl wearing the kuspuk Amauq made her. Smiley smiley baby!