Chris blessed Claire yesterday in my parents ward. She was absolutely perfect, which was such a blessing cause she has been a lil bit fussy lately. She looked beautiful and Chris did a wonderful job. She just loves hearing his voice, so that might have helped keep her calm!


She has also started giving us real smiles. I always wondered how you would know when they weren't just "gas" and I remember reading somewhere "when you see it, you'll know." How true that is! She smiles most the most for my dad; it seems like she really likes him. The feeling is mutual.

Chris is working from 8pm-6am last night and tonight. I can't believe Claire and I made it through a night without him (and she still got fed!!) Actually, I swear she was her best ever last night or I wouldn't have made it. I don't know how tonight will go... she is already asleep which isn't a good sign since I'm not!

I would post about something other than the baby but there really isn't anything else going on.

Claire is turning into a little tub-a-lub. Her cheeks are finally chubby and shes getting those adorable fat rolls in her thighs. I am so in love with this little girl.


Chris and I think she is a pretty big deal-- for all you parents out there our excitement at this head lifting is a little ridiculous, but she's just so dang cute! She gets so frustrated trying to lift her head up and when she does she is so proud... but she still hasn't quite gotten the balance thing down!

some assorted pics

With the help of ridiculous combination of nursing, pumping, and bottled breastmilk, Claire has gained over a pound! She is finally fitting into her 0-3 outfits, and yesterday we got to dress her for our first Sunday in the new ward. She was adorable and well behaved, except when she burped like a man and the whole aisle turned to see where it came from. We are so proud.

She loves falling asleep on our bed while Chris and I are playing with her. Pretty much a surefire way to get her to sleep... apparently she is already discriminating about her mattress. She is not happy when we put her on that hard, flimsy, pack-n-play mattress at night.

Baby feet are cute. Except when baby sticks them in her dirty diaper every time I change it. Makes you think twice about kissing her adorable little toes...

Every night at about eleven pm, Claire's eyes snap open. It's like she knows. So, in the interest of loving and hands-off parenting, Chris and I squeeze the seahorse, which plays music for about ten minutes and keeps her entertained. The second the music ends, she starts crying. And thus, our nights consist of running back and forth approx. every ten minutes to squeeze the seahorse.
The other surefire way to get Claire to sleep is her carseat. She loves going for a ride and pretty much passes out as soon as she gets snapped in.

Being a mom is both harder and easier than I expected. It is the little things that prove the most difficult, like when I do manage to take a shower, I almost never manage to get my hair blowdried. On Friday I had to take her to the doctor down by Sunrise hospital (for those of you that don't know, this requires venturing across town, driving across the Strip, and navigating Maryland Parkway, one of the busiest streets in Las Vegas). By the end of the day, I seriously felt like I deserved Mother of the Year award because I managed all of the following:
getting her fed, pumping, getting her bathed and dressed, getting myself bathed and dressed, going to Moutainview to get her records, making it to her appt. (only ten minutes late), and getting home in one piece. I was honestly beaming I was so proud.

very boring post for today.

Well, three weeks have passed and the good news is all three of us are still alive. Claire is still amazing and still very, very teeny. I have been breastfeeding for the past three weeks... definitely the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life, but I was very set on trying and firmly believed I would be able to get over the hump and make it work. Unfortunately, Claire hasn't gained weight like she should. She is still under her birth weight and only gained one ounce all last week. It is so frustrating, because we have been trying so hard to make this work and I wanted to be able to feed her so badly. It's particulary frustrating because she seems hydrated (giving us enough wet and dirty diapers everyday, nursing for a good amount of time, acting full) but she clearly isn't getting enough. It's not that I think she is going to die or be less intelligent if she isn't breastfed... but formula stinks and costs and I really enjoyed having her all to myself for feeding times. However, her gaining weight and being healthy is far more important than some stinky spit up stains or my selfish desires to feed her, so for the past 24 hours she has been on formula. We have another doctors appointment next week with a specialist, and I am trying to keep my supply up by pumping until then and see what he says. Even if I have to pump and bottle feed, I would rather do that than stinky old formula.

We finally moved into our house this week. It is so fun to wake up and feel like you are at your own home, not some apartment we'll be leaving next semester. Chris and I upgraded to a king bed, which is a dream, and Claire just sleeps in a Pack-n-play in our room. She is about as good as can be expected during the night. Because she needs to gain weight we have to wake her up every three hours, but that is about her schedule anyway. Chris is so helpful, in fact, last night (since it was her first night on formula) he grabbed the middle of the night shift, and I don't even remember waking up. I guess that is the advantage of bottle feeding. His parents get into town tonight, which will be so nice. I can't wait for them to meet Claire. I wish I had the house looking better but I have sort of had my hands full.

Right now she's all curled up on my chest--- could this be the best thing in the world? She is hardly ever set down, but I don't care... she is only this little once and I am going to soak it all in, even if it seems I'm "spoiling" her. This picture is from last night when she met her Uncle Hank.