Clare's First Month

Well, our little Clare has been with us for one whole month now. It feels like longer (though that I am convinced is because I get the privilege of experiencing day and night which feels like 2 days.) We love her so much already. It's like she's always been part of our family. Hayden always wants to help with her. He actually tried to push Mommy out of the way tonight while I was giving Clare a bath because he wanted to do it. She was laying on a blanket on the floor the other morning in his room while I dressed him and when he was done and heading down to breakfast, he tried to pick Clare up from the floor to carry her downstairs, I supported her head for him and let him carry her to the top of the stairs where I took over completely. He's a sweet big brother now, but he's going to be a great big brother later. He just loves her so much and it just about breaks my heart, with joy. She is such a different baby than her brother was. Her temperament is so different. Hayden learns with a frustrated determination and can't move on until he has accomplished what he is he is aiming to and expresses his emotions all through the process. Clare who has mastered rolling over now and began rolling over at exactly 2 weeks loves time on her tummy and has a very strong neck. She doesn't cry though that like Hayden did but shows a quiet persistence in achieving milestones so far. She has also mastered her turned under lower lip when she's about to cry. Kills me. I don't know how she came out knowing how to do that. Clare is smiling pretty consistently now, and not just at the ceiling fan which is amusing to babies in general, but at me. She loves her bath before bedtime. She's a great eater (like her mama) and is putting on weight beautifully. Overall, she is just a very content baby. Its funny how two children from the same two people can come out so completely different. Anyway, we're just enjoying life as it is right now, a slow but busy and tiring pace. We are still working on the house but just in nibbles, as having naptimes to work around really cuts into a Saturday and Sunday for productivity.


















































Bathtime for Clare.










Hayden talking to Clare and Clare listening intently.









Daily outdoor activities for Hayden.









Daily indoor activities for Hayden.













Daddy has big shoes to fill, but Hayden is trying.

Halloween 2010 and other Fall Festivities

The Pumpkin Patch
The pumpkin patch we visited with the new whole family when Clare was just one week. It was a great little place that was free and had tons of free activities for kids. Hayden picked out his own pumpkin and we picked out a little one for Clare this year. It was a beautiful and warm October day (hence the shorts on Hayden.) It was a idyllic first outing for our little family of four.








I love fall. Me and my little boy.









Playing in a giant box of corn. Yes, corn.










Clare, enjoying her first fall.










A perfect sized wheel barrel for Hayden













Daddy and Hayden racing ducks.











Hayden riding a horse for the first time.


































Halloween 2010
Clare is 3 weeks and one day in this picture and Hayden is just one day shy of 22 months old. They are my little bugs. My little bumblebee and ladybug. I love Halloween because as a parent you can dress up your child in the most ridiculous outfits. It is like my own personal Christmas. Nothing cuter than my little boy walking around with his little stinger and little antennae. We went to a birthday party for the son of our friend and they got to dress up for it which is why I can justify this purchase. No trick-or-treating this year since Hayden is allergic to 95% of the candy out there and can't really eat the hard candies like Skittles and Starbursts and whatnot. He loved receiving the trick-or-treaters at our house though and stayed in his bee costume for that. Clare slept for most of the festivities with exception of the photo session.

She is Here!

Well, my apologies on getting pictures out there very quickly. Between moving 2 days after my due date and trying desperately to get settled in...enough...before our precious baby girl arrived and then on top of it some fun internet issues, it has been enough to set me behind a few weeks. But enough excuses. Our little Clare Kelly arrived on October 9th at 1:34am. She was 7 lbs. 2 oz. and about 19 1/2 inches long. Our little brunette upon arrival with dark blue eyes! Mom had to be induced on October 8th in the early evening because of amniotic fluid level worries. And after a short labor and super short delivery (though it doesn't feel like that when you're in the midst of it...just a sidenote), we had her in our arms! At 2 1/2 weeks, little Clare has put on just short of a pound and a half and is sleeping as well as a newborn can expect to be sleeping. We have all been getting adjusted quickly to our new routine. Hayden adores his little sister, always referring to her as "baby" as her name is a little hard to pronounce for him yet. He wants to play with her and give her kisses and always wants her to be around. We've been slowly getting out more and more. I'm learning to travel lightly to get out of the door. Purse, check, 2 diapers per kid, check, wipes, check, snack, check, sippy cup, check, nursing cover, check. Done. Its too hard to keep up with an eager toddler toting a purse, diaper bag, and infant carrier all the time. Anyway, enough of the jibber jabber. On with the pictures.







Welcome to the world little Clare!







A proud Daddy.









With my pride and joy.
























Adoring big brother.









With Grandma Vickie







With Grandpa John












With Grandma Toni
























Sweet little hands










Bright eyed.

House Update

Well, we're chugging right along. I'd like to think that it is always someone we've contracted work out to that is holding us up, however there is about a thousand things we are always scrambling to do even though they push their dates back. The final task outsourced is carpet and that will probably be installed while I'm in labor (worst case scenario) but you can bet I'll be there watching to make sure they don't damage our new trim or doors. I'll lay on the tile and be dramatic, and maybe they'll work a little faster. We got our kitchen countertops in this week and so I'll include a picture of that, plus our freshly painted crown moulding and bannisters and walls. Derrick, my contractor, trapeze artist and husband hung new fixtures from our 18 foot ceilings over labor day weekend and they look amazing! I should have taken a picture of the ridiculously dangerous contraption he made to climb and hang 3 different lights, but I couldn't even watch him do it.




The dining room and stairway going upstairs. And, yes, that is a big green accent wall that will not be as overwhelming when furniture is up against it.

















The formal living room and entryway with new front door and lighting fixtures and new tile at the front door.















The kitchen with new recessed lighting and main lighting (it used to just be a big fluorescent light in the middle and one light over the sink.) New countertops, new cabinets. The panel on the back of the peninsula is being replaced because it came in from the manufacturer gouged. Appliances are coming next week.





A closer look at the countertops with new stainless steel undermount sink





On a non-house note, Hayden and I have been fitting in fun between work and enjoying our last couple of weeks together of just Mama and son. He is so fun right now. Very toddler dramatic. His favorite answer to every question is "no" which my understanding is perfectly normal. He is stringing words together which occasionally come out sounding more like a command than a statement. We call him the Japanese general (which was from this bit on Last Comic Standing that was hilarious) because he gives very serious commands in broken English. When we are at the new house and the grass is looking a little too long for his liking he points to it and says "Mama mow grass". He also likes to say "Mama vacuum" a lot. You can tell he sees his Daddy with construction clothes on more than anything else lately as a new descriptor is "icky, icky Daddy." Even Sadie gets bossed around with "Good girl potty!" or "no no no Good Girl". I think she's the only one who takes him seriously. Poor girl, she's submitted to a toddler who weighs 60 pounds less that she does. My little smarty pants is getting very good with colors and will point out the colors of many objects with our favorite being the "yellow schoo bus" and the occasional "purple guck" (that's truck in case you don't speak toddler.) He can verbalize all the colors except for red because that "r" just trips us up, though he can pick it out. Its amazing the words he's learning everyday. He surprises even me. When we're at the house he'll say the words saw and sawhorse and paint. I guess he'll develop his construction vocabulary right now. He's also a great helper. I'm so proud of him that he picks up his toys and puts them away (in all the right places at that), gives Sadie her treats and puts her outside (with me shutting the door), and carries in groceries (don't worry, I give him the lighter things.) He'll be a great help when the new baby comes. I love him so much and look forward to the times we'll have in new company and the memories we'll make for ourselves when we sneak away for Hayden and mama time occasionally.






How is it possible to get this MUCH avocado on your face without trying?





He thought this was hilarious. I just thought it was cute that he was walking around like a Princess Leia.









Who can resist tickling a little bit.






Well we'll post more as more happens. Pics of a wee one coming soon!

Almost Home

To keep you in the loop, we are now working at light speed to finish what feels like an insurmountable project that we took on with this house. My understanding is that nothing ever goes according to plan, takes more time than expected and almost always costs more (except on HGTV where they have magical powers or magical discounts.) I am now into the nesting phase of pregnancy without a nest and trying to keep our current, but not permanent nest running and trying to make the end of summer fun for Hayden. Every time we have a play date at someone else's house, I realize how little I know of toy buying and seem to be depriving (okay, not depriving because let's face it, Hayden does have more than sticks and rocks to play with) Hayden of the enjoyment of childhood via toys. So I go on rampages. We have thus far bought a swing (which will be hung at our new house when my engineering husband has time for that "low priority item.) We have gotten him a tricycle (which he will be given as his own special present when the baby comes home.) And I had to order it online because it didn't occur to me until late August to buy one, but I got him a baby pool (with a shade for those blistering days...next summer). We busted that one out. It took me 3 days to do it, because I couldn't find the little air pump and I was not about to pass out on the back patio blowing this thing up (though Derrick has made me blow up an entire air mattress at 10,000ft altitude while pregnant with just my meager lungs and didn't understand why I couldn't just go to town on this little pool.) However, the feat was accomplished and now we love our new "poo" as Hayden calls it. So here are some cute pictures.
As for the house, cabinets are being finished up today (with exception of a few doors and a panel that have to be reordered), some major painting is being done today and Tuesday, and Derrick will get almost all the tiling finished and doors hung. So we're getting there. I'll post pics of progress after this weekend. Meanwhile, enjoy the Hayden pictures!






Love his fluffy hair in this picture and how much he looks like a little boy.










Pounding an apple juice post-swim. I love his little pursed lips.









Hanging out with BFF, Sadie who faithfully waits on the outside of the pool