12 Weeks!

This little girl is 12 weeks already and growing up fast. I can't believe the newborn stage is over! I should really call this post 10-12 weeks because that is when most of the development has been happening. She's growing up fast, though not  actually growing that much. 

Clara's neck control is getting much stronger and she really showed off at her 10 week appointment. She's turing her head well and prefers to be held upright now. She is getting stronger and tries to hold onto me with her arms. She is good at grabbing my shirt and hair but doesn't care much about grabbing toys. 

Clara doesn't love tummy time for very long, though it is easier to do with a friend! She drools during tummy time, which I think is cute. She seems to be drooling more than Cedric did, I may get out some bibs for her.  Cedric loves when she gets down on the floor and starts moving. He really wants her to move more. 

We've started using the Bumbo seat some, though she doesn't love it for long either. 

I have taken the newborn sling out of the bath tub and she has loved kicking and soaking in the warm water. 

Here are Clara's stats at 10 weeks: 

Height: 23 in - 65%

Weight: 10 lbs 12 oz - 38%

Head Circ: 15.25 in - 40%

I can't get over how much smaller she is than Cedric but apparently she is growing at a good rate. I moved her to size 2 diapers this weekend and I'm pretty sure she is 11 lbs now. We have a few 3 month onesies and pjs that are feeling a little small, so we may be starting the move to 6 month clothes soon. It will be a slow move though. I keep saying it but I like her a little smaller!

Clara is fairly vocal with a range of coos, cries and almost laughs that show she is understanding more and more. She knows what she wants and is pretty good at getting her point across quickly. She likes to look at herself in the mirror and is very smiley when I give her big smiles. She loves eye contact and when I sing her "open/shut" and other cute little songs. She is a little ticklish too. 

We've been out and about more in the past few weeks. We went to Bob's work for a little shower lunch to introduce Clara and Cedric to everyone. Cedric wore his work shirt and tie, which was super cute. 

We went to another KU football game, this time staying for a few hours at the tailgate and a short time at the game. It was colder than we wanted but we had fun!

There have been a few nice days still and on one I was ambitious and took the kids to the Topeka Zoo. Cedric and I had gone this summer so I knew it was small, cheap and easy to get to, a good combo for us! It was Clara's first trip to the zoo and also first time in the stroller. She didn't sleep in it but didn't cry either. I think she enjoyed being outside and looking around. 

Cedric enjoyed the animals but missed the summer hands-on activities, like feeding the goats and ducks. We were able to play in the park, meet up with Bob for lunch and make it home in time for nap, so all in all a very successful trip. I definitely felt like super mom! I think I'm getting the hang of this "two kids" thing! 

Cedric and Clara are still getting along well. Cedric doesn't blame her for anything yet and I'm hoping I can keep it that way a little longer. I definitely have a shorter fuse some days and I'm trying to be patient but it can be hard with a crying baby. Cedric doesn't like when she cries and is happy for me to take care of her first if it means some peace. He loves to touch her (he still asks) and likes to hold and hug her, though he asks to do it less. Clara is getting picky about who holds her and for how long. She is getting very mommy focused already but still lets Cedric hold her for a bit. She is okay with Bob holding her and getting worse with anyone else. 

We love having little Clara in our family. She is such a good night sleeper (6-9 hours with usually only one wake up) that I really don't mind the 45 min cat naps she pulls during the day. She likes to eat frequently, though probably not too much at one time. She HATES car rides but I'm hoping she will get over that soon :/. She really is a great baby and we love having her around!

Halloween 2015

Halloween this year was a huge event. We thought about it every day for a month. I had to buy a countdown calendar to make the wait bearable. We had to talk costumes and actually go try them on. We went to two pumpkin patches. It was an intense October!

Cedric decided he wanted to be a dinosaur pretty early on and didn't waver. He was too afraid to wear the ones with the dino mouth over the head, so we found this great one  at Target. 

It was fun to finally live in a neighborhood that really celebrated the holiday. There were lots of decorations, haunted houses and a house with Batman and Batmobile. There were tons of kids out and Bob said he was pretty sure people were parking at the elementary school just to take their kids around our area. 

Clara and I stayed home to pass out candy while Dad and Dinosaur were out. Cedric really enjoyed passing out candy when he got home. He wanted to invite them in to stay. Ummm, not happening kid. 

I went as Osgood from Doctor Who. It was a funny coincidence that she was also on that night's episode. I know, nerd. Clara went as a ballerina. I wanted her to have her own costume and realized we had all the components except a tutu. Turns out a baby tutu is really easy to find. I bet this is regular clothes to some moms! The tutu is big so she can use it as dress up in a year or so. 

After wearing his costume all day at school on Friday and for trick-or-treats Cedric decided he was too cool for more photos. Oh well. 

And here are more of Clara getting into character because she is just so cute. 

Happy Halloween from Cedric's two cranky pumpkins and my happy one!

World Series 2015

 Last week Bob was offered tickets to game 6 of the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays from his work. We talked about the logistics of me going with him but it just didn't sound like a good idea. Leaving both kids (mostly Clara) with someone for 6+ hours would be a lot. Bob went with his friend BJ, there was a rain delay, the Royals won and all was right with the world. 

THEN Bob gets a call on Monday from a Sr Manager at Ernst and Young that he wants to invite Bob and I to the World Series Game 1 on Tuesday. What!?! He wants it to be couples and really hopes I can come. After a lot of convincing and juggling we made it to the game!

The Royals won the game in 14 innings but we only stayed until 11:30 (12th) as we had a 9 week old baby to get home to. It was lots of fun to get out and meet some new people. It's good for me to talk with adults from time to time :). A big thanks to Bob's parents for being willing to come babysit and my mom for driving up to babysit last minute. It was definitely a great experience, though hopefully not once-in-a-lifetime!

Pumpkin Patches 2015

 This October we hit two farms to pick pumpkins. It was different than our trips in Massachusetts as we actually got to pick in the field and in October. 

The first farm we went to was Pendleton's Country Market Farm, which also had a butterfly farm and other u-pick foods. We went on a tip from a parent at preschool and were not disappointed. It was much less crowded than Schaake's, which we will talk about later. 

Both farms had a tractor ride to the not-so-far-away pumpkin patch.  Cedric enjoyed this part, of course.

In the field Cedric picked out green pumpkins for himself and Clara and a large orange ones for Mommy and Daddy. 

Clara slept the whole time, good girl.

We then stopped in their butterfly farm. They had a lot of butterflies, mostly Monarchs, which they tag and release. Kansas is a unique stopping point on the Monarch's migration path as the ones born here in the fall will make it all the way to Mexico for the winter. Cedric also went to the Monarch Watch open house, he is loving butterflies (and all other insects) right now!

Pendleton's also had a play yard, pumpkin chucking and a corn bath. Never had seen a corn bath before - Cedric was confused as well. 

We decided to paint the green pumpkins since it was so early in the month. He really enjoyed decorating them for Halloween!

Cedric's preschool took a "field trip" to Schaake's pumpkin patch, the more popular patch in town. I'm not sure if they do much else other than pumpkins. I say "field trip" as I'm not sure it is a field trip if all the parents have to take their kids. 

This patch also had a playspace and some animals (cows, ducks, chickens) and a hay bail maze. Cedric had the most fun playing with his friends :). 

8 Weeks!

Little Clara is getting bigger again. It happens everyday and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to stop it. 

Clara is getting much more expressive and aware. She is sensitive to touch and movement, is aware of her surroundings and sounds more. She is recognizing my voice so that I can talk to her across the room and calm her a bit. She is getting better about sitting by herself, though she'd prefer to be in the bjorn or held. I still haven't put her in a stroller yet, there hasn't been a need. We tried to get out the bumbo seat but she is still a little weak for it. We've been working more on tummy time to get her head control stronger. She's at risk for a flat head on the right side so we are working hard to get her to sleep to the left and strengthen her neck muscles. 

She is starting to be a little ticklish and is getting very smiley. The past few days especially she's been smiling a lot when she sees my face, is fed or picked up, which melts my heart. It's hard to grab a camera during those sweet moments but I'm starting to try. I think she almost laughed one of the times I tried tickling her. 

Clara's sleeping well, waking me 2-3 times a night -which is about normal. She isn't very fussy and seems generally happy so I'm trying not to stress about her napping during the day. She is already falling into a 3 - 4 nap pattern, though everything revolves around Cedric's schedule still. So far she is pretty flexible! We haven't had to use a yoga ball or any funny techniques to keep her happy in the evenings, she generally happy just to hang out and then go to bed. I'm going to try and start a little night routine and to move her bedtime up a bit. I'm reading again (Weissbluth this time) and I'm hoping to get her to sleep as best as she can this first year. 

She is wearing more pink than I thought I'd put her in, but I must admit, it looks pretty cute on her. I think I'd rather put her in pink than a lot of ruffles and bows. My favorite look for her is still navy with pink but I think it is because her eyes are still dark blue. Bob thinks they are starting to lighten a bit. Her hair looks a little strawberry in some lights and light brown in others, similar to Cedric's. She has more hair then he did but it doesn't seem to be growing very quickly. 

This past Saturday Clara went in to her first KU game (vs Texas Tech). We only stayed through the first half of the first quarter but that was because Cedric was ready to leave. We went in the stadium almost 40 min before kick-off to watch the warm up and the band (Cedric's idea). It was a little cold or we may have tried to stay longer. 

Clara is back at the doctor in a few weeks for shots so we should have some more updates then!