It's me again

April? That was really the last time I posted anything? When my darling girl was 6 months old? She has grown so much and is a little girl now. She started walking a little before she was 11 months and she learns new things every day. She keeps us busy! Here are a few photos we took right after Thanksgiving. It was freezing outside and so I've included a few to show you how majority of the shoot went.


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Clara is learning new words everyday. Her first word was Daddy, followed by doggy and Mama. She also says Grandpa, Grandma and shoes. She has several others that I'm not remembering and quite a few signs that she uses everyday. Her latest trick is eating with a fork. I gave her a fork last week and she just started using it. Last night she ate about 90% of her dinner with it.

Ben has been traveling quite a bit with work and I can't say it get's any easier. When he is gone, every knock on the door and phone call elicits a loud, "Daddy!" Clara loves when her Daddy is home and follows him from room to room. This past Saturday Ben was putting new hardware on a dresser we just refinished and Clara had to be near him the entire time. It was very helpful I'm sure.I've been busy gestating and we are very excited to add a son to our family at the beginning of April. I'm getting a little nervous to have two children under the age of two and I hope Clara will like being a big sister. I'm sure it will be a big adjustment for all of us.

Right now she is banging on the laptop screen because she sees Ben's picture. Very helpful. I guess that is my cue to put the computer down and play.

Clara's New Sound

Clara figured out how to make a new sound. She's been doing this all day long.

Condensed Blogging

Because I've not made the time to blog the last couple of months, I present condensed blogging. It's like condensed soup, only cuter.

Clara was blessed on February 7th.
My Dad came from Texas and it was wonderful to be with family!

Also in February, Clara got cuter and chubbier.

In March, Clara tried rice cereal for the first time. Yum.

In March, Clara started to sit up on her own for short periods of time. If we lay her down on the floor she lifts both her head and feet off the ground and tries to sit up.

For Easter Clara got a new dress, hair clips, a teething toy, green beans and carrots. Yum again.

This is what Ben and I had for Easter. Really Yum.

In less photographically documented news, Clara got tubes in her ears this past Friday. After a full six weeks of ear infections, we are hoping this will help her to be healthier and happier. The very next day Clara cut her first teeth. It's been a wild ride. In any case, I feel so lucky to be her mom. She is such a joy and delights me every day with her smiles and giggles.

Worst Mom of the Year Award

So for the last 2 weeks, Clara has been fussy. Really fussy. I was at my wit's end! She fought me every nap time and several times throughout the day. There were many times that I just had to sit her down and walk into the other room for a moment. And then all of the sudden she was waking up several times during the night. I realize she's only 3 months old, but she had been sleeping wonderfully. Typically she'd go down around 9 and not wake up until 4 or 5 in the morning and then go back to sleep until 7. So when she started waking up, I decided it was time to sleep train her. For three nights in a row we let her cry herself to sleep. It was pretty awful. When she'd wake up in the middle of the night we let her cry until she fell asleep again or let her cry for a little while before we went in to get her. Meanwhile, a couple of weeks ago she started batting at her ear. I thought maybe it was bothering her, but then she didn't do it every day. I assumed she had just discovered her ear. On Wednesday however, I realized it was only her right ear she'd been grabbing. That same day, she wasn't very interested in eating. She loves to eat! At 3 months, she is still consistently eating every two hours. So we went to the doctor and she has an ear infection. So I'm guessing she's had it for about two weeks as that is when she first started grabbing her ear. I feel so bad! I made my baby cry herself to sleep when she was sick. Oh man, do I feel awful. She's been on her antibiotic for a couple of days and already she is sleeping better and my sweet, cheerful baby is returning. Worst mother of the year award.

As Time Goes By

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Ben and I have been taking pictures every month of our sweet girl to gauge her progress. As you can see she's made definite progress in the chub and hair departments.

Smile, what's the use of crying?