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! 

6 Weeks!

Clara is 6 weeks old! The time is flying, I can hardly believe she is halfway through the newborn stage! Here are her stats:

Height: 22 inches - 66%

Weight: 9 lbs 12 oz - 48%

Head circ: 14.75 in - 42%

So she is a bit smaller than Cedric but I don't mind. I'm loving my little peanut, she is so cute!  And it is nice to actually use outfits more than once. Clara is eating well so I'm not concerned with her growth being normal :).  We moved her to her own room this week. I wasn't really ready but Bob has been setting his alarm (and occasionally snoring) so it is for the best. Clara sleeps well at night, around 4.5-6 hours, then feeds and sleeps for 1.5-2 hour blocks the rest of the night. During the day she takes cat naps and naps on the go most of the day. I'm trying to be flexible and not worry like I did for Cedric. I'm sure as she gets older I'll get crazy about it again.  

Life with two kids has been fun and challenging but overall we are more laid back this time. We take Clara out with us and really haven't had to change our routines that much yet. She is a lighter sleeper, similar to Cedric, and is doesn't have a set routine but is still fairly flexible. We just have to do our errands and eat our food really quickly. 

This week I took the two kids to Target by myself. We couldn't get everything on my list but we got the important stuff!

As far as milestones are concerned, we have been hitting some major ones lately. Clara started smiling this weekend. I would get her to look at my blank face then I'd give her a huge smile and she would smile back. It is really cute, though I haven't gotten a good picture yet. Below is sort of a smile she gave while playing dress up for our family photos last week. 

 We've been trying to spend more time on her play mat. I realized that she spends most of the day being held or in a seat and if I ever want her to crawl she is going to need to practice. She has rolled a few times from front to back but she was on a belly or was propped up. She has been swiping at the toys hanging on the mat a little too.  

Cedric has been very helpful, especially when it comes to playing with Clara. He asks daily to play with her and will bring out her toys and mats. He's encourages her during her play sessions and likes to hold her while he watches Curious George.

I'm excited for Clara to get a bit bigger but I'm sad that she is growing up so fast. She's a great baby! 

I'm glad that Cedric has been so accepting of Clara. He loves her a lot and I have a feeling Clara is going to love him a lot too. She is definitely going to love following her big brother's lead.