4 Months

From 12 weeks to four months Clara came out of the newborn fog and is now our bouncing baby girl. 

Clara went to the doctor a little late due to her shot schedule and the holidays, so at 4.5 months here is were she was:

Height: 25 in - 65%
Weight: 13 lb 5 oz - 31%

So she is a peanut. Smaller than both Bob and I but still growing well. She is wearing 6 month clothes (occasionally still in 3 month pants). I'm not worried about her being tall or big like Cedric has been. I still like that she is smaller, staying my little baby a little bit longer (at least size wise - she weighs less than Cedric did at 2 months!). 

Clara has a large range of faces but her favorite expression is a smile. The girl is smiley. She just seems like she is happy most of the time. I wish I had more smiley photos this month but it is hard to remember to pull out the phone when she is smiling so happily at me. My brain goes to baby mush and I just smile back! The only times she gets cranky are when she is hungry or tired. Usually cranky means tired. She doesn't worry too much and is patient with me when I'm trying to deal with Cedric or do some chores. 

Clara is doing well with her head control and is sturdier every day. She rolls over about once a week but isn't too concerned with it. She is less frustrated during tummy time and is enjoying the play gym more.

This month she found a love for sticking everything in her mouth. She loves her hands the most, followed by anything cloth and toys. 

We pulled toys out this month and she is slowly becoming aware of them. She is getting better at holding things and immediately pulls them to her mouth. 

I put Clara in the high chair for the first time, though she was still a little unstable. It will be nice when she can join us at the table without being on my lap!

Clara has started grabbing and swatting a bit too, it's cute to watch her try to interact with her world!

Clara is drooly. Soooo much droolier than Cedric. I should be using a bib most days but I forget (and don't like the look of them). Bob plays a game where he holds drooly Clara and chases Cedric. We all get drooled on a lot, it's gross. I doubt it is teething related as she is so young - I hope it doesn't get worse!

Clara enjoys bath time much more. She likes the warm water and splashing around. She makes cute faces and likes to snuggle in her towel. We don't do bath as part of the bedtime routine like I did for Cedric, mostly because she doesn't need it. The girl is a rockstar sleeper (Cedric is my comparison). We've had a few hiccups but she generally goes down for 45 min, wakes and feeds then sleeps for about 8 hours. She'll feed once more then wake up for good around 7. Seriously, it's like a dream compared to Cedric. Naps are going okay, I'm trying to be flexible while being consistent - a funny balance to find. 

This month we were able to meet up with a few friends born two - three weeks after Clara. Future BFFs? Hopefully!

Clara's real BFF right now is Cedric. He loves her still and wants to hold her and play with her. He does ignore her sometimes but not in a mean way, more in a "I'm still the center of the universe" kind of way. First borns - am I right?

Clara turned 4 months on Christmas Eve. I have lots more photos coming but here are a few of my big girl (she may have been a little confused about Christmas). 

Thanksgiving 2016

The holidays were a little easier this year, now that we live in Kansas. We aren't used to loading up both kids (neither of whom enjoy long car rides) so it was still a little stressful but probably less stressful than a plane ride. Probably. 

Thanksgiving week started with a fun class the Prairie Park Nature Center. 

The teacher of the Wild Explorers class has pet turkeys and brought in two to meet the kids! It was a very busy class, complete with a local news team. Cedric wasn't as shy around the tom as I thought he'd be. After the most of the kids went to start the craft Cedric hung back to have some one on one time with the turkey. 

I did eventually get him to do the craft :)

This year it was the Podany's turn to have Thanksgiving so we headed to Leawood for the day. Clara slept the way there and cried the full hour on the way home. Cedric enjoyed the iPad and didn't nap all day. Needless to say, the day after Thanksgiving was a bit of a mess. 

Clara wore her brother's pants (because they were so cute the first time around) and a new shirt. She then had an outfit change to a cute dress that her Grandma bought her. She is cute in anything :). I had a bow but it looks like I never put it on. I'm not doing well with the girly accessories. 

It seems most of my photos focused on it being Clara's first Thanksgiving. Cedric did a lot of running around and playing. It's easier to photograph a baby that just sits and looks at you. Cedric isn't into smiling nicely for the camera. 

So here is Clara and Daddy

Clara and Grandma

Clara and the turkey

Clara and Bopa

Clara and Anne

 Clara and Great - Grandma, Cedric and Anne, Cedric may get cropped out of this one. 

And Clara and Mommy back at home

I didn't get a photo of Clara and Chris but he did hold her for a while and they watched TV together. We had a relaxing day but had to leave early as there was a winter storm headed our way. We made it home before the roads got icy but Bob did have to stay home from work on Friday. Good for Mommy as the kids were not in a happy mood. 

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!