Zoo Day!

Yesterday Bryce and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary of marriage.  A few months back we talked about some ideas of what we wanted to do to celebrate our anniversary and one of things was to go to the zoo.  We actually went to the zoo on our honeymoon so we thought it would be especially fun to go on our anniversary this year and take Claire with us.  It worked out perfectly since Bryce is on spring break and has school & work off all week.  I was a little worried at how the day would go since Claire has been having some pretty rough days lately from teething, but she was so happy and excited the whole time we were there!  We decided to head down in the morning when Claire normally goes down for her first nap.  We stopped for breakfast at Einstein Bagels before we drove down to Salt Lake and then Claire slept for almost the whole car ride down.  It worked out perfectly!  She woke up right when we pulled into the parking lot, ready to get out and explore.
We showed her the giraffes first.  She was very intrigued and just kept staring them down.  It was funny to see her try and figure them out.
This giraffe was sticking its tongue out all over the place.  It was so funny to watch.
After we showed Claire the lions we had to take the classic Hogle Zoo photo by the lion drinking fountain.  Claire inspected all of its teeth and tongue thoroughly after our picture was taken.

We stopped by the gorilla & orangutang exhibit and took a few more classic zoo photos.  You can't leave the zoo without a picture by the gorilla measuring wall.  They have a tiny 4 month old orangutang right now that is so adorable.  It was curled up taking a nap so I wasn't able to get any good pictures of it but it was so cute!  

Claire was in awe, I'm sure, at the enormity of the elephants.  She would point at them excitedly and shout in her gibberish language.  While we were visiting the elephants the workers were out with them having them do tricks and perform for us. It was so neat to watch.  Bryce and I both wish in another life we could work as animal trainers at a zoo.  I really think it would be such a cool job.  We also got to watch the seals perform and do lots of tricks at their exhibit but I was having too much fun watching so I didn't take any pictures.  

Claire loved these tiger statues!  She scampered right up to them and kept patting them and giving them loves.  Bryce picked her up and sat her on the smaller one for a couple of minutes and you can see from her face in the last picture that she thought it was the funnest thing ever.
The gorilla in the outdoor exhibit was playing hide & seek with us.  He was laying right up by the window and kept pulling the blanket up over himself & then he would pull it off and pop his face out.  Claire wasn't really sure what to think of this massive black furry thing popping his face out at her.

Bryce's favorite animal is the tiger.  He was so excited for Claire to see it.  All day long he kept prepping her and asking her, "What does the tiger say?"  Then she would smile and let out her little growl.  I was even able to get a semi-decent picture of them in front of the tiger while it was prowling around. 
My favorite animals at the zoo are probably the zebras with the elephants coming in as a close second.  The zebras were all pretty far away so Claire & I just got our picture taken in front of their exhibit while they were grazing around.  I think Claire's favorite thing was getting to see all of the other kids running around all day.  She kept walking up to random kids all day trying to play with them.  It was the cutest thing.  We seriously had the best time.  It was such a fun day!  Claire slept on the drive home and then we used a gift card we had been saving and picked up Costa Vida salads for dinner so I didn't have to cook.  It was a great way to celebrate our marriage and the family we've created together.  Bryce and I are planning on going on a real date this weekend as well with just the two of us.  We think 3 years of marriage is definitely worth celebrating twice in one week!

Sunday at the Park

Sunday afternoon after church & Claire's nap we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and take a trip to the Beus Pond & the park.  We walked around Beus Pond a few times and showed Claire the ducks and geese.  After we had walked around for a while we stopped at the park before we went home.  We put the Claire on the swings to see if she would still like them.  The last time she tried the swings was back at the begging of September when she was just 8 months old.  At first she was a little unsure about them and almost started to cry, but after lots of clapping and reassuring "yays!" from us she warmed up to them.

After Claire was finished swinging Bryce took her around on the playground and went down a few slides with her.  She was pretty indifferent about this.  She didn't love the slides but didn't necessarily oppose them either.  I'm sure in a few months time this will change.
After swinging & going down a few slides we made sure Rory got some good exercise.  Bryce played fetch with her while Claire and I walked around stopping every now and then to explore bits of leaves and twigs.  It was a perfect family afternoon and has really made me look forward to the warmer months coming!

Portrait 9.52

Portrait 9.52 

Claire catching a few rays of sunshine before nap time

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week, in 2015."

Scenes from a Wednesday

We finally had a much needed snow storm earlier this week.  I love snow, so I was very excited about it.  However, the colder temperatures have kept us from going on our daily afternoon walk the past few days.  We've stayed tucked inside and entertained ourselves by making cookies, watching Winnie the Pooh, and playing with toys in the nursery.  Here are a few scenes of how we spent our Wednesday cozied up inside:

Claire loves her abacus toy.  She'll spin and move the beads around for a good ten minutes.  I'm actually kind of surprised sometimes that something this simple entertains her so well. When she plays with it Bryce and I joke that she is already becoming a little mathematician.
Claire is always trying to swipe our glasses, especially Bryce's since he wears them all the time.  I was wearing mine today and decided to oblige her by letting her try them out for a bit.  She thought it was hilarious. 

Claire is such a cuddly and affectionate little girl.  She walks up to me holding her arms out for me to pick her up and cuddle her all the time.  She loves to snuggle up and lay her head on my chest while I rest my cheek on the top of her head.  It's one of my absolute favorite things.  I hope she never grows out of it.  She also loves to give hugs and kisses to all of her stuffed animals & dolls.  She gave her bear lots of love today and carried him all around the nursery.  She was not happy about having her diaper changed earlier so we compromised and I didn't try to keep her still long enough for me to pull her pants back on (the struggle is real!).  Who needs pants when you're staying warm and cozy inside all day anyway.  

Happy Birthday Rory!

Yesterday was Rory's 2nd birthday.  In the morning before Bryce had to work we took her for an extra long walk.  Going on walks is her favorite thing!  We actually have to spell it when we use it in a conversation so she doesn't get overly excited thinking we're going to take her on one.  When Bryce got off work that evening we had a little party for her.  We wore party hats, played fetch & keep away, and then we surprised Rory with a gigantic bone.  She can chew up a small bone in a matter of minutes so Bryce made sure to get one that would last her awhile.  I think he succeeded.

My (not so ) little furbaby.  I can't believe you are already 2 years old.  You are the fluffiest, goofiest, cuddliest, funnest dog ever!  We love you so much and don't know what we'd do without you  Happy birthday Rory Girl!!

Portrait 8.52

Portrait 8.52 

My little explorer

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week, in 2015."

The end of a very sweet era

I officially weaned Claire from nursing this past Sunday.  I've been slowly weaning her since she was 11 months old.  She has always loved to nurse so I was worried it would be a difficult thing for her to let go of.  At 10 months I was nursing her 4 times a day (about every 4 hours).  At 11 months we cut down to nursing only 3 times a day, once in the morning, after lunch, and then before bedtime.  At 11 1/2 months I cut her down to nursing only two times a day, first thing in the morning and before she went to bed.  Claire actually did much better than I expected she would.  She didn't ever want nurse more than I offered and seemed really content with cutting back.  The whole time I was nursing her I always thought I would wean her all the way when she turned a year old.  However, when her first birthday came I was still nursing her twice a day, and I didn't feel like either of us were ready to be done yet.  I decided I would continue nursing her for another month or two and just kind of see how it went.  
     This ended up being such a good decision because Claire was sick almost the whole month of January and part of February.  She got a really bad cold, ear infection, and then was getting really high fevers of 103 for about a week for no apparent reason (but possibly from teething).  She has slept through the night since she was basically 4 months old but when she got sick she started waking up around 3 a.m. when her tylenol would wear off and her fever would spike again.  The only thing that would help her go back to sleep was nursing.  
     A couple of weeks into February she finally started feeling better and started sleeping through the night again so I decided to cut down to nursing her once a day in the morning.  She still loved her morning feeding and it was always the first thing she wanted to do when she woke up.  I woke up Saturday feeling a little sick, but I still nursed her in the morning after she woke up.  A few hours later I got hit full force with a case of the stomach flu.  After throwing up all day Saturday and again Sunday morning I was so sick I had no energy to get up out of bed when she woke up.  I had Bryce get up with her on Sunday and he just took her out to the kitchen and fed her breakfast.  Once she got some food she was fine and didn't even seem to mind that she had missed her morning feeding.  Monday morning came along and I was finally feeling better, but had only eaten crackers and sprite in 48 hours so I wasn't even sure if I would even really be able to nurse her.  I decided not to offer it to her and just take her out to the kitchen and feed her breakfast like Bryce had the morning before.  I was a little sad because I hadn't actually planned on weaning her but the stomach flu just kind of made it happen.  Even if I wasn't ready I felt like Claire was and decided it was time to officially wean her.
  When I was pregnant with Claire I was a little apprehensive about nursing.  I had read a lot about all of the great benefits of nursing and really wanted to nurse, but it still seemed a little weird to me.  I wasn't sure if I would really like it let alone enjoy it.  When Claire was born nursing did not come very easily in the hospital.  Claire was so tired and neither me or the nurses could ever get her to wake up enough to nurse.  I was also experiencing the stress and fear of having paralysis in my legs still, more than 24 hours after delivering Claire.  The doctors were trying to figure out why I couldn't move or feel my legs yet and they had no idea of when or if I would be able to walk again.  I remember a time on the second day in the hospital after trying to nurse Claire I just started crying.  The lactation specialist had been in trying to help me get her to latch properly and stay awake long enough to nurse but Claire had no interest.  The lactation specialist patted my shoulder and said it was okay, that we could let her get some sleep and try again in a half an hour.  I swaddled her up and had my mom who was with me place her in the bassinet.  I was crying from frustration, fear, and I'm sure lack of sleep.  I remembered telling my mom maybe I should just formula feed her.  I didn't know what I was supposed to do if I wasn't able to get out of bed and if I couldn't walk.  I was thinking of how much help I was going to need and thought it might be easier if I just did formula so other people would be able to help feed her.  My mom said to do whatever I felt was best.  After a good cry I recomposed myself and decided not to give up yet.  I had to leave and get an MRI done but decided when I came back I was going to nurse her successfully and keep her awake for the whole feeding.  After my MRI, I came back and had Bryce get me all situated with Claire so I could nurse her.  I successfully got her to latch and was able to keep her awake long enough to nurse on both sides for a full feeding.  I'm sure my determination played a tiny part of it, but I really feel like it was a tender mercy from Heavenly Father.  It was exactly what I needed to give faith that things would be okay during my hospital stay.  After that feeding nursing just kind of clicked for both of us.  Claire started nursing great every two hours and I loved getting to be the comfort and sustenance she needed.  The next morning I was able to feel and move my left leg again so I was fitted with a walker and was able to be discharged that evening.  Even though there was still a lot of uncertainty about my recovery I felt confident in being able to take care of Claire and provide what she needed.
     After that nursing became an incredibly special experience.  I felt like it helped create such a special bond between us.  I loved getting to cuddle her and stare at her perfect little face.  I loved that as her mama I was the only one who could take care of her that way.  I loved everything about it.  I loved that every time I nursed her was reminded that being a mother was the most important work I would ever do.  It gave me the motivation and conviction I needed, especially on the hard days.  Although I hadn't actually planned on Saturday being the last time I would nurse her I do feel like it was time and that she was ready.  We officially reached the end of a very sweet era.