Clara: Happy 1st birthday

Dearest Clara,

I just laid you down to sleep, your very last night asleep as a "baby". Tomorrow is your first birthday. Tears fell as I put you down...it's a bittersweet moment. I can't believe you are already one!! The past year, I have been your everything. Your source of nutrition and comfort. I will miss those quiet moments in the middle of the night when it was just the two of us.

While, I'm sad to see those times go, I am happy for the times ahead. This will be the year your personality continues to develop. I am already so proud of the loveable girl you are today. My heart melts when you hug me and kiss my cheek and when I hear you babble "I love you" (I know that is what you are saying).

So, sweet baby girl, I love you with all of my heart. Thank you for the joy you have brought us and making us a family of four.

Love you always.

Clara: nine and ten months

Where has the time gone? I can't help but ask myself that question when I think about how quickly the past three months have gone.

Clara transitioned from crawling, to walking with assistance to walking independently the past three months.

She continues to babble and says (attempts) momma and Amelia. She loves to sing and dance especially when the Frozen soundtrack is playing on the radio! 

Tim is her world and squeals in delight when he walks through the door. 

During the day she loves to eat little crunchies, puffs, oatmeal, yogurt and veggie pouches. 

She loves to play with the kitchen set, farm, blocks and Legos! 

And her favorite is bigger sister, Amelia :)

Clara:Seven and Eight months

Seven and Eight months

Clara has really grown this past month. She is crawling all over the place, standing at her activity table, walking a few steps while holding on and babbling away!

Those top two teeth and trying to pop through!

She spent the month of November enjoying the leaves and crisp fall air. Her very first Thanksgiving was spent with the McCarthy clan, Papa T and Nana at our house.

Clara enjoyed the month of December with many fun activities: her first visit to Santa, celebrating her big sister's birthday with a penguin-themed party and a visit to Hershey park and Christmas!  One not-so-fun thing was her first double ear infection. After trying a second antibiotic, she was on her way to feeling better :)

Clara:Six months

Six months

November 15, 2013

Clara celebrated her first Halloween as a lady bug this year. She spent the evening with her sister and the majority of her Thomas cousins. 

Clara has been on the move the past few weeks. She rolls around to get to her toys and has been trying to crawl. And within the past week, she has been attempting to pull herself to a standing position. 

She is continuing to explore the tastes a variety of foods.  The doctor gave us the go ahead with soft cheeses and snacks!

Clara has her two bottom teeth! Will she get her top two in time for Christmas??

Stats:

Weight: 15.8lbs

Height: 26.75 inches

Happy 3rd Birthday Amelia!

Dear Amelia,

Tomorrow is your 3rd birthday! You have grown into such a beautiful, smart, fun, caring and imaginative young girl. You arrived at 9:06am on Saturday December 18th, the moment my life changed for the better. You remind me daily how precious life is.

This past year you have taken on the role of big sister. You did so without jealousy or anger. You welcomed Clara with open arms and enjoy teaching her about life.

Thank you for being a wonderful daughter. I look forward to watching you grow this year.

Love Always,

Your Mamma :)

Clara:Five months

Five months

 

Clara has mastered the ability to situp on her own. She loves sitting on her mat playing with her toys. She's still very happy and loves razzing and gooing at us. We are teaching her how to say mama, dada and aya (Amelia's nickname).

In addition to speech, we are working on teaching her how to crawl. We've been putting her in the crawling position and having her reach for objects. It won't be long now till she's mobile.

She has added pears, apples and squash to her diet. Later this week we plan to try carrots. I was making the baby food myself, but it's been tough. There are not enough hours in the day. I'm left with the guilt of wondering if I am a bad mom for buying store bought baby food :/.

On October 5th she enjoyed a fun day with her cousins (Thomas side) and met tons of extended family.

We think she may be teething these past few weeks. She's been a little cranky, drooling and hasn't been sleeping well. I hope this is temporary. I miss my 8 hours of sleep.

School days!

School Days!

 

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my sweet little baby girl is now in school. It seems like yesterday I held her for the first time.  I never fully understood the advice "enjoy every minute because they grow too quickly" until now.  My gosh, it really is the truth. 

We enrolled Amelia in the Terrific 2's program at Trinity Preschool of Berwyn. She had her first official start of school on Tuesday September 10th. Miss Independent left my side as soon as we got to the door of the school. She yelled a "cheerful" bye and waved as she ran into the building. Little did she know the first day, parents were asked to stay :) As I watched Amelia that day from a far, I knew she'd be okay.  She listened very intently to the teachers, she was happy to swing on the swings and slide down the slide. She enjoyed playing with the toys and making a craft. She giggled when she saw a photo of herself hanging on the wall in her classroom.

As I watched her navigate her classroom, I thought back to my dad and his reaction when he first met the tiny little baby on December 18, 2010. "There is something special about Amelia!" That is what he would tell everyone when he told them about his new granddaughter. He was certainly right. She is a special little girl. She will continue to amaze me daily and be spectacular in this world. 

On another note--we took the girls to the beach on September 7th. Words cannot describe how much Amelia loved it! She enjoyed the water, sand and boardwalk. She has the best time flying a kite with her daddy :)