Watch Me Grow: 52 Weeks

Happy Birthday Rory!

Today is Rory's 1st birthday.  This is the last "Watch Me Grow" post for her.  I have had so much fun doing these posts.  It's been really fun to watch her grow from a tiny puppy into a 55 pound full grown dog.  

We had a little party for her tonight at home.  I made her a doggy cake (recipe here) and we gave her a box of milk bones for her present.  We love our Rory girl so much!  She has been such a great addition to our family.  She has brought both Bryce and I comfort in times of loneliness, happiness when we were sad, and she gave us a responsibility to take care of someone besides ourselves.  I made a video with pictures I've taken of her the past year that is posted below.  I made for us to watch during her party.  I don't really expect anyone else to watch the whole thing, but I'm glad it's documented on the family blog :).

Happy 1st birthday Rory girl!  We are so glad you are a part of our family and we look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you!

Claire Olivia Week by Week: 5 Weeks Old

Claire is five weeks old today!

   

Remember when I made this hat and booties for her?  It seems like sooo long ago!  I am so happy she is here and finally wearing them.  I can't get over how cute she looks!

I love being this girl's mom.

Watch Me Grow: 51 Weeks

  I'm a few days late posting Rory's weekly update, but I'm finally getting around to it!  She is now 51 weeks old.  In the picture above Rory is laying in one of her "spots".  She likes to have a clear view of the door but then she likes to turn her head backwards and watch me and Claire.

Whenever I lay Claire on a blanket on the floor Rory has to come cuddle up next to her.  It's really sweet.  I love seeing her pay more attention to Claire.  I think this is the beginning of a long friendship.
 Rory really likes the quilt Claire is laying on from Great-Grandma Mecham.  After Claire got tired I took her in to the nursery to rock and lay her down in her crib.  When I came back Rory had sprawled out on the quilt trying to stake her claim.  She looked so comfy.  I had a hard time kicking her off!  
 Rory is still the same size.  She hasn't grown in a few months, so she is done growing at this point.  She is very obedient and has matured so much now that she's almost a year old.  She loves cuddling an napping with me, and then loves to play with Bryce.  When Bryce gets home from school or work Rory won't leave him alone for at least an hour.  She will keep bugging him and make sure she gets her play time in.  I can't believe Rory will be one year old in exactly a week!  My little puppy is all grown up :(, which is a bittersweet thing.  I miss how cute and tiny she was but I don't miss the peeing, biting, jumping, and hyperness from the puppy stage.  It feels like a big accomplishment to reach her year mark and see how far she has come in her training.  It took an extreme amount of patience and diligence, but it was oh so worth it!

Claire Olivia Week by Week: 1 Month Old

    Dear Claire,

Today you are one month old.  Your first month of life has gone by far too quickly, but it has been so wonderful.  You have brought so much joy into our lives!  Being your mother is even better than I imagined it would be.  I love spending my days with you.  We have a pretty good little routine, but we are still working on getting your schedule down.  You eat every 2-3 hours, depending on the day.  Some days, probably when you are going through a growth spurt, it seems all you want to do is eat!  On those days I don't seem to get much done, but I don't mind because it means I get lots of extra cuddling in.
 After every feeding we do 45-60 minutes of awake time before you nap.  During your awake times we like to read stories and sing songs in the rocking chair.  You also like spending time in your swing watching the mobile, taking baths, and laying on your back kicking & stretching your legs.  After your awake time you always take a really good nap for 1 1/2- 2 1/2 hours.  I've started having you take at least one nap a day in your crib so when I move you to your nursery at night the transition will be easier.  You are a really good baby.  You really aren't ever fussy, and you rarely cry.  The only times you do cry (and it's more grunting then crying) is when you wake up and are wanting to eat.  You love cuddling!  Your favorite place to nap is snuggled up on my chest.  This is one of my favorite things.  I never get tired of holding and snuggling you.  You get the hiccups at least once a day, and they kind of upset you.  It always makes you feel better if I snuggle you on my chest and gently pat your back until they go away.  

You have grown a lot already!  I had your dad weigh himself then hold you and weigh himself again.  I don't know how accurate it is but according to that method you are about 10 pounds.  Goodness, I really can't believe how quickly you are growing.  I want to remember every little detail about you.  You make the cutest little noises all day long, and you grunt and squeak in your sleep.  You still have a full head of dark hair and your eyes already look like they will be brown.  Every time you finish nursing and are half asleep you always have a big grin across your face.  It is the cutest!  Another thing I love is holding you in my arms with your head in the crook of my elbow.  I talk to you and tell you stories and you just stare up at me the whole time.  

You have made me so incredibly happy.  I can't even begin to describe the love that I have for you.  I don't think it is really something you will understand until you become a mother.  I am so lucky you are my daughter.  I feel very blessed to have you in our family.   I am so excited to watch you grow and change, but will you promise to slow down just a little?  I love this little life of ours and I am so glad I get to spend it with you.

Love you too much,

Mom

Family Pictures

Claire is four weeks old today!  I decided to finally bust out the tripod and take our family pictures before she got any bigger.  Here are our first family pictures with Claire:  

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from my tiny valentine!

A Rainy Thursday

I spent this rainy Thursday rocking my baby and watching the drizzly weather out the window.  I also changed five diapers, one which caused both Claire and I to need new outfits.  I reintroduced Claire to the The Civil Wars (I listened to them a lot while I was pregnant and I think she remembered them), and wrestled baby socks out of my dog's mouth twice.  I even showered and got ready during nap time.  I'm feeling pretty accomplished.

Watch Me Grow: 50 Weeks

    Rory turned 50 weeks old this past weekend.  She has been really cute with Claire lately.  She's been much more interested in her now that Claire is staying awake more and making more noise (lots of grunting and squeaking).  She does a good job staying calm around her.  It's such a relief to see her respond to Claire so well.  We are grateful to see that all of our preparation and training has paid off!   

Claire Olivia Week by Week: 3 Weeks Old

Claire is three weeks old today.  The past three weeks have gone by so fast, but at the same time it already feels like she's always been with us.  I don't know how it's possible, but she gets cuter and more fun every single day.

Quiet Winter Days

  

The past two weeks have been pretty quiet around our house.  Our days have been filled with lots of naps (for Claire & me), cuddling (for everyone), and reading (for me).  It's a good thing I am such a homebody already.  I have actually really been enjoying myself and have yet to experience any cabin fever.  Between taking care of Claire and hobbling around the house, due to my leg, I have actually stayed quite busy.  My leg seems to be slowly improving.  The feeling is back on the inside half, but the outside half and my entire foot is still numb.  I still can't move my foot or toes, but I am getting really good with my walker and I can even walk around the house without the walker now (with an obvious limp).  

  

I finally got some pictures of Claire with her eyes open, which is a serious accomplishment if you know how much she sleeps!  The most eventful thing that has happened lately was probably Claire's two week check up we had yesterday.  She now weighs 8 pounds 9 ounces and is 21 inches long.  She has gained almost a pound and a half and has grown over an inch in length.  No wonder she sleeps so much, she is growing like crazy!  She eats every two and a half to three hours during the day with a small amount of awake time and lots of sleeping in between.  She eats every three to four hours at night, and sleeps fairly well in between.  Now that she's two weeks old I'm slowly going to work on getting her on a more regulated schedule and hopefully I can get her sleeping longer through the night.  If you have any tips on this feel free to share! 

Watch Me Grow: 49 Weeks

Rory is now 49 weeks old.  Her 1st birthday is in just a few weeks on February 28th.  She is still doing great with Claire but we are always extra careful and make sure to never leave Rory alone with her.  The picture above is probably the closest we've ever let her get and it was only for a few seconds.  Once I took the picture I made her back up off the blanket.  I doubt anything would happen but I'd rather be safe than sorry :).  We are excited for when Claire is older (&bigger) and they can interact more.  We think they are going to be best buddies!

Claire Olivia Week by Week: 2 Weeks Old

My sweet little Claire Olivia is two weeks old today.  Here are a few pictures I snapped this morning to document her growth (which is going too fast by the way).  If you can't tell, I'm really in love with this girl.