4 Months

Clara is 4 months old! I have to say this has been my favorite month so far.  Waking up to her smiles and happy noises is honestly a delight, even when they come a little earlier than I would like.  Here is what I want to remember about Clara at 4 months:

She just had her shots--Poor little band-aid girl

---She can roll over both directions.  She's basically a genius.  Sometimes the little genius gets stuck on her stomach and spits up, and then her head gets to heavy and she plops her face down right in the middle of her own spit up.

Lovely.

---She sleeps through the night about 60% of the time.  The rest of the time she usually only gets up once, at about 5:00.  She still has not slept as consistently well as she did in Boise.

She is a little pointy-chin girl, just like her mama

---She can laugh.  It's the best thing ever.  She likes to be lifted up and down over and over, and her tummy, neck, and feet are ticklish.

I'm just glad she didn't choose this moment to spit-up

So happy girl

---She is in the 21st percentile for length and the 23rd percentile for weight.

---She likes to make the "ooo" sound

I love to dress Clara up. Erik thinks she's cutest in just her diaper.  Our compromise is diaper+ headband

---She wears pretty much every size of clothes at this stage.  She has a few newborn stragglers as well as some 6 month outfits, and everything in between.  The majority of her clothes are 3 month or 0-3 month

Look at that belly.  Beautiful baby chub

---She loves TV.  I'm pretty sure the American Academy of Pediatrics would not approve, but Clara and her dad watch football together every night and Clara is enraptured.

It is getting harder and harder to get good pictures of Miss Clara.  She is smiling more than ever, but she's always moving and has recently become fascinated with my cell phone.

---She went on her first airplane ride and slept the entire time both ways

Smiling at her Nona

---Her fingernails grow so fast and are super sharp.  She scratched her nose this month and made herself bleed and I felt really bad.  She also likes to scratch while she nurses, so that's great.

Sleepy cheer baby.

---She weighs 12 lbs 13 ounces

Take your daughter to work day.  Just kidding.  I was getting my car cleaned and Erik was showing off his multi-tasking skills

---She likes to flirt.  She was making eyes, smiling, and cooing at this really effeminate guy at Subway the other day and he came up and told me she was a "precious cherub from Heaven"

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---She prefers sitting on your lab, facing out to being held like a baby

Silly onesie from Uncle Alex and Auntie Em

---She is starting to be interested in books and toys

Clara LOVED swimming in Boise

---She just barely started teething.  Any advice is welcome.

"what's up"

---She went to her first football game.

This is Clara's buddy Adrienne.  She is a former cheerleader who graduated who has been SO helpful, coming to watch Clara at practices and games.  Clara loves her.

Clara and Al, the mascot.  She loved him less.

We love our Clara!  I'm pretty sure everything I listed is what every baby does at that age, but to us it's all new and exciting.  Being a mom is so fun, I highly recommend it. 

August

Some days I feel like I really have it all together and I’m all that.  Other days I feel like I run around all day putting out fires caused by my own spaciness, over-scheduling, and procrastination.   Today was one of those days.  Wednesday is supposed to be my desk day.  I pay bills, do piano bookkeeping, make meeting agendas, etc.  Today, through a series of events that aren't actually that interesting or worth mentioning, I didn't get any of those things done.  Clara has one more meal left before we go to sleep for the night, so I thought I would try and squeeze a blog post under the finish line on my otherwise unsuccessful desk day.  Plus, August was a really great month that I would like to have blog evidence of.  Because really, if you don’t blog about it, did it actually happen?

August is rodeo month.  Longtime blog readers knows what this means to me.  Clara did great at her first rodeo, and Erik and I had a fun time together.

Please note the Jeep stroller.  We are nothing if not brand-loyal

Cute Cowboy daddy

Clara rocking the Moby wrap

The highlight of the month is that Clara and I went to Idaho for a week.  My brother Alex and his sweet wife Emily were visiting from Virginia and I wanted them to meet my girl.  In keeping with Bylund-style chintzy-ness, instead of flying out of the airport 10 minutes from my house, Clara and I drove four and a half hours to fly out of Spokane to take advantage of Southwest’s $60 flights.  All in all, it went pretty well.  It was a little stressful getting through airport security and getting from the economy parking lot to the airport, but Clara was a good little travel baby.

All of this was my carry-on.  Southwest is awesome like that.

We had a blast in Idaho. My mom held a little open house for her friends to meet Miss Clara, we went shopping, we had a fun visit from my favorite high school teacher, and my dad took Clara swimming.  She loved the water, it was way cute.  She also slept through the night 8+ hours every night we were there, which was awesome.  Unfortunately, we both caught colds on the flight back, and came home to a few pretty sleepless nights. 

Clara and Auntie Em

Little Joe was Clara's guard dog. He would go sit by her whenever I wasn't and watch everyone.  He even slept against her play pen one night.

Clara going swimming with her Papa

Clara meeting her future friend, Aleah

Clara with her Nona.  My mom has lost a lot of weight and looks fantastic.  I'm really proud of her.

At the very end of the month our college friends Zach and Emily came to visit with their two cute little boys.  We had a great visit with them.

When I was pregnant Erik said he would never wear a front carrier.  Once I got it on him he thought he was all that. 

This reminds me of the dad club in "what to expect when you're expecting"

 We are all busily adjusting to our new fall schedule, but doing well.  Come see my cheerleaders this Friday at the Homecoming game.  They've been working hard, and I think they'll look great.

3 Months

My baby is 3 months old!  Today I packed away all her newborn clothes and it made me a little sad.  Before we know it she will be going to college and then choosing my nursing home.  Hopefully she will remember the mother who selflessly cleaned her clogged tear duct 345,675,921 times a day and choose one with private bathrooms.

Pretty 3-month baby.  She is gigantic.

At 3 months Clara.....
---Arches her back and sticks out her rear when she stretches.  She also makes fists and stretches her arms and scrunches up her little face.  It's adorable.

---Sleeps for 6 or 7 hour straight at least a few times a week.  She's even done a couple 8 hour stretches.

Mama and baby napping.  I love when she puts her hand on my cheek.

---Continues to love being around people

Clara wears a bib most of the day most days because of her little spitting problem.  It makes it so I only have to change her outfit twice instead of 14 times.

---Went swimming for the first time in Banff

Her swimsuit won't stay on her skinny little butt.  I don't think I have ever experienced that personally.

---Is awake and alert most of the day

Many of my best Clara shots are taken in her carseat.  She loves it and she holds still, definite recipe for photo success.

---Gets the biggest smile on her face whenever we put her in her carseat.  Little Miss likes to be on the go.

"Where are we going, Mom?  Is it Costco, I love Costco!"

---Wears size 1 diapers and size 0-3 or 3 month clothes.  And some 3-6 month clothes that are too big, but summery and I am worried it will be too cold  by the time they fit her.  So I put her in them anyways.  Mother of the year, right here.

---Is Erik's little buddy.  We are going out of town next week and Erik is staying behind to work.  I think it's going to kill him for her to be away that long.  

---Has way longer eyelashes than I do.  They kind of sprung up out of nowhere this month.

---Enjoys her vibrating bouncer best

I wish this picture was in better focus because she has the cutest little look on her face.  My friend Heather made her a bunch of burp cloths, and they're soft and just the right size for her to cuddle with.  She loves them. 

---Is very chatty.  This is adorable at 1:00 pm, and less so at 1:00 am

---Went to cheer camp with me and rocked it like a pro

This is what happens when I leave Erik alone with her

---Has very pretty, shiny eyes

---Is working on rolling over, but not there yet

I always put her to sleep on her back, like a good mother. When I come to check on her, she's always like this.

---Still spits all over everything.  We burp her on top of the hardwood because it's so much easier to clean than the carpet.   Erik has gotten very proficient at cleaning spit-up off of microfiber.

Hey Bright Eyes

---Will nap anywhere.  Swing, carseat, floor, snuggling, you name it. 

---Enjoys Barry Manilow's Copa Cabana and the entire soundtrack to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat

We love this little girl so much.  I am loving this baby stage and feel like it is flying by way too quickly!  Come visit us before it passes.