HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Claire and Charlotte's cousins Ella and Austin came over to celebrate Halloween with us. The older kids had a great time trick-or-treating while our little pumpkin hung out at home with Grandma and Grandpa!

Three Months Old

THREE MONTHS OLD TODAY!!

At three months old Charlotte:

• is full of smiles and is cooing like crazy!
• drools A LOT! She is constantly blowing bubbles and the front of her shirt is usually soaked by the end of the day.
• eats 6-7 times each day and still does okay with a bottle.
• goes to bed between 7:30-8:00 and wakes up for the day around 7:30. She sleeps a 6-8 hour stretch and then goes back to sleep for another 3-5 hours.
• is still swaddled and loves her pacifier while sleeping.
• dislikes her car seat (just like her big sister did)...makes for some very relaxing driving!
• usually takes 3 naps a day. The first two are usually in her crib and the last one is almost always in the swing. Her naps are starting to get a little bit longer, which is also nice.
• loves when you sing or read to hear.
• loves looking at herself in the mirror. It brings a smile to her face when she sees her reflection.
• enjoys bathtime. She kicks her legs with delight and gives us lots of smiles as she gets all clean.
• likes playing on the floor and is still doing pretty well with tummy time.
• has discovered her hands and loves to suck on her fingers.
• is still wearing 0-3 month clothing, but I don't think it will be long before we break into the 3-6 month clothes.
• is a very content and happy baby and we love her more every day!

Spin Art

I am always looking for fun and easy crafts and art projects to do with Claire. She usually enjoys them and they keep her entertained for a good 30 minutes if I find a good one. We did this one this morning and she LOVED it. You only need a salad spinner and food coloring for the project and the end result is similar to 'spin art'. You put a piece of paper in a salad spinner, add a few drops of food coloring, and then spin away. Claire thought it was great!

Busy Week

This week is my last week home from work and it has been one busy week so far. I picked Claire up from school on Monday afternoon and found out that they had their first confirmed case of H1N1 in the toddler room and that strep throat was going around. YUCK! In order to try to keep our family healthy before I go back to work, I decided to keep her home for the rest of the week.

Since I already had her home and because her interest in the potty has been high, I also decided to go ahead and try to potty train her. Yesterday she had underwear on for about half the day and didn't have any accidents - YAY! Today she had underwear on the entire day and had two accidents, which wasn't too bad. Hopefully her success continues...one less kid to buy diapers for! :)

It has been fun having both girls home, although I will say that I have been absolutely exhausted by the end of the day. Stay-at-home moms (especially those with more than one child) really don't get enough credit. Despite my exhaustion, it has been a great way to end my maternity leave and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Here are a few pictures from the last few day. It's amazing that I don't have one of Claire on her potty as that is where she has been spending a better part of the last few days!

putting our pumpkin craft on the window

more tummy time

not so sure about her first time in the bumbo

eating lots of blueberry bagels

books, books, and more books

Treasured Moments

It is hard to believe that my time at home with Charlotte is coming to an end. I have the rest of this week and next week off and then it is back to work. I have mixed feelings about going back. On one hand I will enjoy the routine and adult interaction that go along with a job outside of the house...not to mention using my brain for something other than diaper changes and sleep schedules. On the other hand, there are many things that I will miss...the warm cuddles after she eats and the way she gives me a big grin when I go to get her out of her crib after a nap. The way she takes in all of her surroundings and her love for music and story time. She is no longer a blob, but instead a little person with a personality. I remember this all too clear from Claire. Maternity leave is indeed cruel. Just when you have your baby figured out and they start to reward you with longer naps, big grins and little baby giggles, you have to go back to work.
So for now I will enjoy the time I have left at home with my sweet baby girl. I will treasure each of these moments as I know I will be missing them very soon.

Photography Sneak Peek

We had family pictures taken on Saturday afternoon. Both of the girls did great. Claire was a little shy at first, but warmed up in no time and enjoyed having the spotlight on her. Click here to see our sneak peek!

Charlotte's Baptism

Charlotte's baptism was on Sunday morning. Our family members joined us for the ceremony and then headed over afterward for brunch. It was a beautiful day (one of the only true fall days we have had so far) and so nice to get everyone together for her special day. We were happy that Katie and Steve could make it as well, especially since their new baby is due to arrive the beginning of December. Charlotte was a trooper during church, only letting out a little squeal when water was poured over her head. All the activity clearly wore her out as she took a 3 hour nap yesterday afternoon!

Tummy Time Setback

We are having some issues with tummy time lately. Charlotte has discovered her hands. This means that instead of lifting up her head during tummy time and building all of her neck muscles, she prefers to spend tummy time sucking on her hand. This new development also makes taking pictures much more challenging.

Check out her new hat. I love it! This adorable hat, along with a set of matching booties, was delivered to Art's office with no card. We are still trying to figure out who they are from...

In other news, Charlotte slept 8.5 hours straight (8pm-4:30am) on Sunday night, ate, and went back to sleep until 8am! She was up last night at 2:15am to eat, so 4:30am clearly isn't the new 2:00am!!

Priceless

There is something about a baby's expressions that is so priceless. Charlotte continues to smile like crazy. She LOVES when you read, sing or just talk to her. She is getting so much more interactive and fun every week. She loves spending time on the floor, both on her tummy and back. While it is exciting to watch her develop and grow, it is also sad that she no longer loves being held.

Here's a series of photos I captured this morning.

Some Day...

We headed down to the creek last Sunday to watch Pete run the Twin Citie's Marathon. There is nothing quite like watching a marathon. It is so motivating to watch all of these people, in all shapes, sizes and ages, reach for the same goal. And every time I watch I think to myself, "maybe I have one more in me." I swore I would never run another one after my race at Grandma's, but I just might...some day.

Congrats on a great time Pete! You did awesome!

Napping is Overrated

Every so often Claire decides that napping is completely overrated and tests the waters. She jumps on her bed, sings the ABCs at the top of her lungs, and gets out of her bed and starts playing with her toys. When this happens (usually once every few weeks), we start off by ignoring her. This usually works 50% of the time...she plays for a little while and then drifts off into sleep. When it doesn't work, we usually have to go up to her room and tell her to get back into bed. This results in success about 40% of the time. The other 10% is an extreme battle. Saturday afternoon's nap fell into the extreme battle category. It took 2.5 hours to get her to go to sleep (yes, we are persistent) and this is what her room looked like afterward. Pretty funny.

Coordinating Outfits

Claire and Charlotte sported their first set of coordinating outfits on Friday. I'm sure that they will think it is super dorky some time a few years from now, so I better take advantage of it while I can! Plus they don't match exactly, which makes it less dorky....right?!?!

Happy Anniversary!

Art and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary on Friday, which means we have been together for 10 years! It is crazy to think that I have known him for one third of my life. We celebrated by going out for a nice dinner on Saturday night. It was nice to spend some time together and our dinner was fabulous. Art also had these amazing flowers delivered on Friday. It is honestly the most incredible arrangement I have ever seen. Here's to many more great years to come!