Brother Sister Love

I love watching and hearing Cole and Claire play together. Their relationship has been blossoming over the last several months.

Claire is finally to the point where she plays with Cole instead of just around him. She loves her big brother. It is so cute how she looks up to him and does whatever he is doing. She dresses up in all his superhero costumes, plays sword fight, "hi-ya's" and all. Don't worry he plays babies with her too. :)


Cole loves to look out for Claire. He enjoys getting her up in the morning or from her naps. Their conversations are precious! I wish I could get them on tape somehow. Lately, when he gets her up, they end up playing in his room for awhile building forts with all their pillows and blankets.


Cole also helps set a good example for Claire. She definitely wants to do things her way but if she sees Cole do what we ask, she quickly follows.

Love these two! They are so fun!

Claire: Just Days from 14 Months

On January 4th, Claire will be 14 months. It's been awhile since posting about my sweet girl, so I decided early is better then never.

Claire's personality has developed/came out in the last couple of months. She laughs and smiles all the time now when at one time it was a rare moment. She is clapping and jabbering (in a sweet whisper) constantly. She also has this adorable head nod she does when you are talking to her or even near her like she is agreement with you. So cute!

She is like a ninja crawling, so quite. Also, she is pulling up/walking furniture, etc. but she is not trying to walk independently at all yet. Playing with toys and her brother is also new. It is so sweet to hear them laugh and play and wrestle together.

She sleeps a good 12+hours at night and takes two maps a day. And eats more then Cole! It's quite the difference from a few months ago when she would only take milk.

Overall, Claire is my precious, sweet, raspy voice little girl and I love her!

Claire: 9 Months Old

Today, Claire is 9 months old. This summer has been so busy, something almost every weekend and we are still going. We are completely booked for August and almost there for September. My kids aren't even in organized sports or school yet! How can this be??

Anyway, Claire's monthly post have been lacking, so I told myself "you have got to write something about that sweet girl this month!" Much has changed since her last post.

-Her favorite toy is anything that she can put in her month and chew on, especially her pacifier.

-Raspy singing/static voice, followed by a shrill scream. Maybe a singer in the future??

-Rolls every way possible.

-Pivots, slides backwards, moves all around the living room. Very close to crawling I think. I can tell she is thinking about it and just trying to figure out how.

-Sits up completely independently (7.5 months). Also, gets down to a crawling position from sitting up, on purpose (not falling into it).

-Prefers to sleep on stomach now (8.5 months). Just put her down on her belly, pacifier in, blanket over back and head, lay her head down, and she is out. Super easy baby!

-Bedtime is closer to 6:30 or 7, sometimes later these days which is great, because she then sleeps until 7 or 7:30am the next morning. She no longer wakes at night mad on her tummy because she now prefers to sleep that way. Yes!

-Eczema is extreme still and we have a whole medicine bag full of products to use on it. It does not seem to bother her which is a blessing because it looks painful.

-She is not big on eating baby food or soft solids. She still prefers to only nurse or take formula. She doesn't even want water or juice. A sippy cup? What's that? Totally unique and different from her brother at this stage. We gave all baby food away and he only nursed 2- 3 a day, and the rest of the time ate everything we did and drank water from a cup. She will get there. She is a happy, so I know she is not starving.

-Eyes are blue, hair is turning blonde. Weighs 15 pounds. Tiny girl. Wears 6 month clothes and some are still too big.

-Very happy, content baby. Loves to watch Cole play and he is beginning to play with her and her play back.

-Loves to nap in her pool float! Awesome!

From Here to There, We're on the Move!

Where she was left...

To where she ended up...

New Skin Regimen

My baby girl sure does love to take a bath, but her poor little skin is far too sensitive to take them very often. She has extreme eczema. I have it too. And Cole has had a spot or two in his life, but she has the worst case of all. It is a chronic condition. There is no cure, but it can get better over time and it can be managed. Mine has improved over the years, so I pray for Claire, we can get hers under control quickly.

The battle began a few months ago with just a few red bumps. Then a breakout on one of her outer arm/elbow area. She looked like she had been burned. It was raised, blustered, and filled with puss. I know, gross. It was and that extreme.

It would go through its stages of blistering and healing, then come right back. Then it spread to her other arm and across her back and under her chin. I knew what it was, there was no doubt. At her 7 month check-up, I did show it to her doctor, but it was in a good stage. She did, however, confirmed my conclusion and gave us our first prescription.

Last week, it spread to her face, around her mouth and eyes. That worried me. I was not sure what I could and could not put on her face, much less that close to her eyes and mouth. So Friday, we returned to the doctor for another look. We left there with two more prescriptions, a new moisturizer, a new bath wash, and a new hydrocortisone cream.

Saturday morning, we began are new skin regimen. It took awhile.

Loving the Mirror and that "Other" Baby

Here is a before bath picture of her back. Let's just say it did look worse. (Saturday morning)

Two Days Later (Monday morning)

All the Products/Prescriptions

Listed Left to Right
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser
CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
Mupirocin Ointment
Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream
EpiCeram: Skin Barrier Emulsion
5% Hydrocortisone Cream

The Mupirocin Ointment was the first prescription given to us. I did not like to use it frequently because it contains a steroid, but do use on pussy areas to prevent infection. I definitely will try the other, more mild products first.

The EpiCeram is EXPENSIVE! So we only use this one on the face and when needed elsewhere for extreme breakouts.

The Triamcinolone Cream is not safe for the face, underarms or diaper area. Apparently, it burns. But it definitely works! This is the product used on her back and after 3-4 applications, there was a huge improvement! (see photo above)

5% Hydrocortisone is mild, and safe for the face.

Hopefully, all of these products will help manage Claire's eczema, but we will definitely be making an appointment with a pediatric dermatologist in the mean time to double check this is all the is going on and these are the best products to be using on her delicate skin.

More then you all cared to know...right.

Claire: 5 Months Old

-Claire does not smile a ton like other babies, but one sure fire way I have found to make her smile is by sitting her up facing me and doing cheers, hands motions and all. So cute. She just lights up.

-Chews on her pointer finger. Her favorite toy is her hands.

-Pulls up legs while laying on her back and rocks back and forth.

-While on her tummy, she pulls her legs up underneath her and inches forward a bit.

-Started taking a bottle from ME without a fight. And I have gave it to her at room temperature a couple times too.

-As far as sleeping, we are making good strides. In my last milestone post, I mentioned she was making it through the night without waking up. That lasted about 10-12 days. Then we went back to some good nights and some bad ones again, followed by traveling and congestion. Her bedtime was between 7 and 8pm. About a week and a half ago, she ate at 3 or 4pm two days in a row and didn't wake up again for 12 hours. What? 12 hours without eating is totally normal for her but that's too early to go to bed because she can't make it 15 hours. But I have learned not to wake her late in the day. It totally messes up her sleep cycles. And she only does that late in the day. I would wake her if it happened in the morning/early afternoon hours. So I am trying my best to push that back a bit. So now I do all I can to make her stay up until 6am and she sleeps until 6 or 7am, with a few exceptions of course.

-It's been 5 months and I have only had to buy one package of diapers! I was so blessed with diapers by friends and family or pre-bought just the right amount so far. Thank you everyone! It's such a blessing to just have to open her closet instead of having to go to the store.

-She loves to stand, play in her Jumperoo and look outside.

-She seems to have outgrown her bouncy seat.

-We are trying cereal again. I say "we" because it was me that wasn't consistent about giving it to her, not her refusing it.

-She talks/coos a ton. Jabbers. So sweet to listen to.

-Eyes are still blue. Hair is still brown/auburn.

-Happy and content. No major meltdowns pretty ever. If there are, then it's because I am not responding to her needs and she has given me all the warning alerts.

-Goals for next month: MORE FLOOR TIME. I am so bad at that this go around. But she always naps so much that she isn't awake alot just us either, not that it has to be always just us. But it would be fun bonding time. We need to get rolling. :)

-Recognizing and smiling at Cole more. Loves to watch him play, sing/talk to her.

-Nicknames: Claire Bear, Sweets, Little Bit

-She is an observer/studies everything around her. One very similar trait that is like Cole at her age.

Tiny Toes

Claire: 4 Months

Last Friday, March 4th, Claire turned four months old. How the time is flying. I bet I say that every post too. Sorry. It is. I can't believe it is now okay to start rice cereal and thinking about digging out our high chair from the very back of her closet. Really?

This last month has been a bit hard. As soon as I posted her three month report, all chaos broke loose. Seriously. I have a friend that would always tell me as soon as she posted progress on her blog, things would change. Well, it happened to us as well. In that post, I talked about finally having a routine and nighttime sleep was improving, etc. For about three weeks after that, we had many hard nights that led to tired and grouchy days for me, which also led to many headaches/migraines. Poor Cole. He wanted a playmate so badly some days and I just wasn't much fun. And there was one weekend in there that was not only Claire keeping us up. The first night it was Claire, then Cole (which never has issues going to bed) and then me the next night with heartburn. What in the world was happening? It was crazy.

Anyways...

Claire CAN make it all night without eating, so when she would wake up, it was very frustrating to say the least. She typically went to bed at around 10pm or so and would wake at 3:30am and then EVERY hour after that needing her pacifier, during these last three weeks. I often thought, "Do I feed her? Would that make her sleep the rest of the night?" Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Confused? Yes. Mad? Yes. I know, I know. You are thinking I am a horrible mother for saying I was mad and frustrated. It's true. It's honest. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my sweet girl, but we were ALL tired and in much need of rest. I needed her to sleep. She needed to sleep.

With Cole, I let him cry it out. With Claire, I was (until last month) afraid she would wake Cole up, so I was not so great about letting her cry it out. And typically, she really DOES need something, such as to burp. But after talking to another friend, with two older children and a baby, we decided to let her cry a bit more at night and not worry about it until it started to wake Cole. Has it woke him yet? No. He is one hard sleeper.

Also, my pediatrician has always suggested starting a 7 or 8pm bedtime from the beginning and going from there. That is not something I started with Cole but worked up to. I see her point of possibly interrupting deep sleep and the baby never returning that deep sleep if woken mid-cycle, but my concern was always would that mean more middle of the feedings? With Cole, waking him at 10pm to fill him up was never a problem. I think it was for Claire. Individuals? Yes. Can't treat them the same that's for sure.

Exactly one week ago, things started looking up around here. Sleep started to happen again in this house. We hosted our small group last Tuesday night. Claire ate about 5pm and was ready for a nap about 6:15pm. The first couple arrived just about then so she was not fully asleep so she required us to go in twice for a pacifier, but after that not one peep. Did I plan for that to be her going down for bed? No. Well, it was about 10pm when we were finishing up small group and I said to a friend, "What do I do? She is not awake. Do I wake her?" I went back and forth. And the reason it was such a debate was because Claire has this habit of waking up 45 minutes into her naps, pretty much every nap and we have to go in and re-swaddle or put her pacifier back in, but when it is bedtime, she does not wake up at the 45 minute mark, so the debate of "Did she think we put her down for the night?" began.

**Side note: Thank you for praying for me and my lack of sleep/headache problem. This week has been so much better. Not one headache! PTL!**

Brent and I decided not to wake her. I thought for sure she was going to wake up as soon as my head hit the pillow. She has done that before. Nope. She did not wake up until 5:38am!!! Are you kidding?! How wonderful was that?! Could we repeat it again??

The next day, I tried to figure out the timing to have her eating the last time about 8pm. On her previous schedule her last feeding would fall at 7:30pm but she has been showing signs and definitely able to go four hours between feedings. Plus, if we add cereal too, then she really will not need as much milk. Theoretically. My theories have been wrong a time or two though.

With all that said, Claire's new bedtime is between 7 and 8pm. And she has slept until 6 or 7am pretty much every morning without interruption!! I can't believe it!

I feel like every month end we are going to a new schedule. I am still learning about Claire. My baby girl is so unique and special and plain different from her brother. And I am completely okay with that and LOVE her for it. Tired? Yes. Ready to know what she needs (regarding nighttime sleep) without a doubt? Yes. Are we getting there? Yes. I am good with progress and progress we are making together, sweet Claire! Mommy loves you!

This week, her naps have improved as well. We have had several naps that were not interrupted by the 45 minute intruder and slept the entire 1.5 to 2 hours without much help. The initial put down is easy 8 out of 10 times. Just lay her down awake and she goes to sleep. She is also willing to take naps in her car seat, which happens a lot when I know we are about to leave for church or Bible study that fall right at nap time. It is my best option for keeping her asleep and not disturbing her. The hard part is putting her back to sleep when she does wake in the middle. I have almost started not to let her cry (very opposite of her brother) because if I can catch her at the first sound and stick her pacifier in she is almost instantly back asleep every time. It is when she wakes up fully or gets worked up that is difficult.

So here's what I am thinking for her schedule:

Option #1:
7am: Wake up, eat. Play.
8:30am: Nap #1 lasting about 1 to 1.5 hours.
10am: Eat + cereal. Play.
12pm: Nap #2 lasting about 2 hours.
2pm: Eat. Play.
3:30pm: Nap #3 lasting about 1 to 1.5 hours.
5pm: Eat + cereal. Play.
7:30pm Eat and Bedtime.

**We have not started cereal just yet. But just thinking and planning.**

Of course, this is just a rough estimate. The ideal plan. It is still flexible and adjustable according to activities outside our home, errands, commitments, etc. Tuesdays and Sundays with Bible study and church, it always is a bit off and that is okay. The main goal is to accomplish EAT, WAKE, SLEEP cycles. And we are there for sure. Exact times, that changes and that is just fine with me. As long as Claire gets the rest she needs. She definitely isn't lacking in the food area. :)

Knowing when Claire is tired is easy. It is so cute. She will put her hands over her eyes, palms out and open. I will have to get a picture of it. Precious. Or she will cross her arms over her eyes. There is no wondering if she is tired once she does that signal. Thank you, Claire for telling me exactly what you need! Love it!

Milestones:

-Discovered her hands. To her, this is her favorite toy. She just looks and studies them for countless hours. Easy entertainment.

-Still drooling. I am talking soaking wet clothes and terry cloth bibs are needed. Something new and different for me.

-At the beginning of the month, there was a week of bloody murder screaming as I tried to feed Claire. I didn't know what was happening. This was definitely not her norm. I finally decided to take her to the doctor and acid reflux was thought to be what was going on. Of course, she stopped the screaming after going for her appointment. We had some things to try and meds, etc. but I am still not convinced that is what was wrong or maybe it was just a couple bad days of it. And now it's gone?

-Slept in crib for the first time February 6th (Superbowl) and every night since then.

-February 7th, started using Jumperoo. By month end, she can touch the floor and even bounce a little.

-February 11th, rolled over tummy to back to the right for first time.

-February 13th, used outside swing for first time and LOVED it.

-March 2nd, Claire has began to laugh, sorta. It sounds like a grunt or cough almost. She mostly just opens her mouth really wide and you can see it in her eyes. The best and only way so far to make this happen is tickling/shaking her belly.

-Still swaddling and using a pacifier.

-Pretty much only takes a bottle from Miss Connie at church, which I am totally okay with since that is pretty much the only time Claire needs a bottle. Miss Connie knows all the tricks! :)

-Supported sitter.

Features:
-Dark hair.

-Blue eyes.

-Chubby cheeks. So cute.

-Wearing size 2 diapers.

-Wearing 3-6 month clothing.

Goals for Next Month:
-Still working on tummy time and rolling over more.

-Start introducing cereal.

Claire: Three Months

Here is what has gone on during month 3 of Claire's life:

Eat, Wake, Sleep:
-At the beginning of this month, she would wake to eat once a night.

-By mid month, we dropped the eating but were still waking at about 5am and with re-swaddling or pacifier would go back to sleep until 7am.

-At month end, Claire is sleeping without waking (somewhat) from 10:30pm to 7am. We pretty much have 3 good nights of uninterrupted sleep, followed by 2 nights of waking at 5am or so. And repeat. Goal: to get that to stop, be consistently sleeping through the night, and move her to her room.

-This month, I finally started an official Wake Time = 7am. I have seen that Claire sleeps through the night better (without a cold of course) and is less fussy during the day. She eats basically every 3 hours and is flexible when needed for outings, so that means she eats at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm most days, give or take a few minutes. That schedule worked well with Cole at his age and with our life routine around our house. I kept trying to figure out a way to have them napping exactly at the same time but to make that happen the rest of the day would be awkward and her eating would fall at dinner time, etc. I am now okay with having two schedules and I still worked in an hour break or so for myself.

-Her wake time runs about 1.5 hours. So her nap times are roughly 8:30am, 11:30am, 2:30pm, 5:30pm and sometimes 8:30pm. The 8:30pm is hit or miss. Sometimes we keep her up if she is not fussy and wanting to sleep so Brent gets time with her but other days she needs her rest. Eventually we will drop the 10:30pm feeding and her bedtime will move to 7:30pm. But that will be another month and another goal to accomplish.

-The last two nights, Claire has been sleeping so well in her 5:30/6pm nap that we pushed her feeding time back to about 8:30 or 9pm and put her to bed for the night. I don't know if I like this yet. She hadn't quite mastered the previous bedtime (10:30pm to 7am) yet, but time just got away from us the last two nights so we tried it. She didn't wake up to eat ever, but she did cry out more often. Hmmm...what to do??

-Her naps are different then Cole's were. He wasn't or I don't remember him being effected by the 45 minute intruder. She is and it is like clock work. I don't get her up unless she is crying uncontrollably. She normally just requires a burp, re-swaddle, or pacifier. And sometimes a good rock. That is a last resort. And then she will sleep the remaining 45 minutes for a total of 1.5 hour nap.

-Requires sensitive or soy formula.

-Still fights bottle some. She will take it one day without fight and not the next. Right now, we are doing a trial to see if there is a particular bottle she prefers over another. Trying Nuk bottles right now.

-Still likes to be swaddled.

-Takes a pacifier better now.

Milestones:
-Responds to us cooing at her with smiles and cooing back.

-Recognizes us more and lights up more when we talk to her.

-Like to be held facing outwards to be able to look around. Such a big girl already.

-Tries tummy time in small intervals. 2 minutes max right now.

-Turns almost in circles on play mat. Not full ones but is definitely in a different spot then where I would leave her.

-Drooling began around 11 weeks.

-January 31st: Sat in Bumbo seat for the first time.

-Cole still calls her Claire Bear. Also says "Hey sweetie" or "Whatcha doing cutie?" to her.

Features:
-Still has very blue eyes.

-Hair is still dark. About the same amount she was born with as far as I can tell. Just a small bare spot on the back of her head.

-Wearing size 1-2 diapers. Could see us moving to a size 2 when we finish this box. I don't remember Cole moving through diaper sizes this quickly.

-Wearing 3 month clothing.

Goals for Next Month:
-To move Claire to her crib.

-To have more floor time with Claire giving her more opportunities to discover her feet and to think about rolling over.

Claire: Two Months

Last Tuesday (4th), Claire turned 2 months old. I can't believe how the time is flying by. She is absolutely precious and growing way too fast! She is loved very much by so many but let me tell you, she has her little brother wrapped around her finger. It is way too cute watching him with her. He truly loves and cares for her. I am excited to watch their relationship bloom as they get older.




(Both photos taken at 2 months and 1 day old)

Two Month Milestones:
-Holds head up fairly steady. Strong neck.

-Wearing size 1 diapers, but I think once we have used all that we have, that we will move up to Size 1-2.

-Wearing 0-3 month clothes still in most brands. Needs to move up to size 3 in Carter's though. That is a NB size in one of the pictures. It is a little snug. haha.

-Always moving, kicking legs, etc. Very active.

-Blue eyes are still there!

-Started cooing and smiling at 7-8 weeks or so.

-Only have tried formula 4-5 times. She is not a fan and throws up volumes afterwards. Talking
to the doctor about other options tomorrow.

-Semi-pacifier user. You have to kinda force it on her and hold it until she takes it, but then she loves it. Just can't make up her mind about that one.

-Cole's nicknames for her right now are "Clair bear" and "Miss Claire."

-Took for out of state trip to Oklahoma for Christmas with Bebe and Papaw.

-Eyes follows lights and sound.

-While in OK, we made our first ER/hospital trip. More on that in another post.

-Baby acne cleared up around 8.5 weeks.

Sleep/Routine:
-Still working on a routine. I need structure and like flexibility. So I am working on having both. I think I have decided to do what I did with Cole and start her day at 7. It seemed to
work well for me with errands and dinner for Cole. Figuring out how to work two schedules is tough but we are getting there.

-Still waking about once a night. The time varies a little based on her last feeding, so I am going to try and be more consistent with that since I know my plan for her start time now. Last night she ate at 10:30pm and slept until 6:15am or so. Super! She is getting there.

-Needs to be swaddled for sleep to help calm those active legs.

-I need to work on letting her cry a bit more. She is so loud I am terrified of her waking her brother, who is sleeping great. What to do...

-Still sleeping in a pack n play in our room. Napping for the most part in her crib.

-The bouncy seat is a life saver for her sleeping with congestion.

Two Month Check-up:
Height: 23.75 inches = 92%
Weight: 12lbs 4oz = 83%
Head: 15.25 inches = 49%

One Month

On December 4th, Claire turned one month. I am a few days late, I know, but life is just busy right now. Blogging is on the furthest back burner ever right now. But I also know the importance of writing down the sweet moments in her little life. They are moving too quickly already and mommy brain is in full force and I can't remember where I left my shoes last much less all the little milestones happening around me.

Breathe.

Anyway. Life is good. Busy but good. I think the holidays are attributing to that a bit with Thanksgiving just behind us and Christmas just 12 days away.

Claire has been one social butterfly attending a Women's brunch and SS class Christmas party last week. Tuesday morning Bible study and various ministry meetings and worship services at church on Sunday and small group on Tuesday nights.

She is sleeping and eating and growing well. A little congested these days and you can tell it is hard to breathe at times. She HATES to have her nose sucked but who wouldn't. She has started to follow objects with her eyes more and her wake time during the day is getting longer. Claire also has baby acne which showed up at 3 1/2 or 4 weeks but is getting better, still there but better.

The nights have not been too bad at all. No, she is not sleeping through the night like her brother did at this age but I was fair warned not to expect that from our doctor. If I can feed her in the 9 or 10 o'clock hour, then she has been making it to the 3 or 4 o'clock hour and then sleeping on to 7 or 8am. Perfect. I can handle once a night. It is when she wants to eat in the 8:30pm zone that really throws us for a loop. She might get up 3-4 times that night. How does 30 minutes make that big of difference? I don't know. All I know is it does, so I do all I can to make her eat around 9 or 10pm. I haven't decided when I want her wake time to be just yet which I already knew that with Cole at this point, but with two schedules I am trying to figures out how to make them line up a little so I can have a break/nap/clean, etc. uninterrupted some afternoons.


Claire:1 months, 3 days old

Big brother Cole is doing awesome with his sister as well. He loves to talk to her, hold her, kiss her, and help mommy get was she needs at that moment. Last week, I was in the dining room and Cole was sitting next to Claire in her bouncy seat in the living room just having the sweetest private conversation with her. I overhear him say, "I love you." Too sweet. Just blesses my heart to hear that sweet boy love on his sister like that. He always wants to know where she is, what she is doing, etc. So cute!

Claire's First Week of Life

Claire is 1 week old today! She is absolutely amazing and I love the way it sounds to say "kids" now. Wow, I have 2 kids! Incredible!

This week has truly been great. Brent has been off the entire week and it has been so great to have him home as we discover what a family of 4 looks like and how it will work. We have been out and about a lot this week, partly because I can't drive for 2 weeks and Brent is home this week and not next week, so we needed to get a few things done. So it will just be me, Cole and Claire staying home all week next week. I don't like to stay home all day, every day. I go stir crazy and Cole likes to go too. We like our just hang at home days don't get me wrong, but a whole week. Yikes. I am going to have to be good and follow doctors orders. But it will be good to just take it easy too. I must take advantage of this time.

The Birth Story:
Thursday, November 4th, we drove to the hospital at 5:30 in the morning. We were scheduled to be induced. My doctor was going to be out of town that weekend and didn't want me to go past my due date and since my body was showing signs of being ready, we decided to have Claire on the 4th if not before.

At around 7:15am, my doctor came in to see me, break my water and get the medicine going for the induction. I was at 3.5cm at this point. I waited until about 10am to request my epidural. I kept going back and forth when to get it but finally Brent just said "it's time" and went and got my nurse. Sadly, 3 hours later from the first check, I was still at a 3.5cm. I was so disappointed and nervous because the epidural was in and I was afraid it would make the progression even slower. I did not want a c-section if that could be avoided.

There was a point between 10 and noon that Claire's heart rate kept going up and down so I was put on oxygen to help regulate it and that worked perfectly to keep it steady, so I was on that for the duration of the labor, which made it a great excuse to nap since I couldn't exactly carry a conversation on that easily.

At noon, my doctor came back and I was given a bit of good news. Claire was face up. Not that that is good news, she definitely needed to flip over, but it was her fault I was not progressing and not my body refusing to. Yes! The nurse and doctor agreed that once she flipped that she might be ready to come, so they flipped me on my side and we waited. At this point, I was a 5.5cm, so there had been some progression.

Around 2pm, I started feeling pressure. When Cole flipped, I felt a bit pain in my back. This was not the same. I told Brent to please find my nurse because this baby is coming out or flipping. My nurse came in at 2:09pm to see what was going on and sure enough Claire flipped and I was at a 10cm! Wow! Fast!

At 2:15pm, my doctor had made it downstairs. When Cole was born she was only in the room a couple minutes before he was born because I did all my pushing with the nurse. I had not pushed once. My nurse told me not to move while the doctor was called and she got the room ready. I told my doctor, "wow, you will be here longer with this baby." She said probably not. She was right. At 2:19pm, only 4 minutes after she arrived and 4 pushes later, Claire made her entrance into the world! It was incredible. I was so much more present and aware of what was going on this time around. With Cole, I did not feel well and very out of it. It was amazing to hold her right away, watch her get cleaned up and just remember the moment. Her cord was tightly wrapped around her neck so the doctor did have to cut it off, probably the reason her heart rate kept going up and down. She was perfectly fine though.

Claire weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Perfect.

**Thank you to all those who prayed for us during the labor and delivery and days after. Your prayers were heard and answered. We are all doing so great. I feel great and healing quickly which is super great with a 2 year old to chase around and want to keep up with. Claire is healthy and growing and sleeping great as well. We appreciate and love you all!**

Today, Claire had her first doctor's appointment. It went great. She looks great and is gaining her weight back nicely. We left the hospital at 7lbs, 5oz and was 7lbs, 9oz today. The doctor said that was about an ounce a day since we left and they typically gain about a half to 1oz per day, so she is eating well and on track.

Stats:
Weight - 7lbs, 9oz - 38%
Height - 20.5 inches - 74%
Head - 13.5 inches - 25%

Wow. The head percentile makes me laugh. Cole has always been in the 90th+! haha. Her head is perfect to me. It fits her tiny body just right. :)

Outings:
Sunday Night (3 days old): Spring Creek BBQ
Monday (4 days): Target, HEB, and Double Dave's
Tuesday (5 days): SWAT (women's ministry) Meeting and Home Group
Wednesday (6 days): La Madeline, Staples, Academy, 3 Salsas, Bear Creek Park

Big Brother Cole:
Cole LOVES his sister Claire. He loves to hold her, kiss her and talk to her. The hardest thing for him is me not being able to pick him up and hold him right now, so we are having to get our snuggle time in other ways. We did have a few rough days in the potty training area, but now that we are back home, on his regular routine, things are back on track. I have a slide show below with pictures from the week, but I have to highlight this one of Cole and the first thing he said to his sister:

Brent brought Cole in the room first to meet Claire so we could have some family time and his moment. He sat on the end of my bed and I introduce her to him. She didn't start to cry but just made a little squawk, and Cole immediately pointed his little finger at her and said "don't cry!" So so funny. He has truly been hilarious with her. So sweet. And so helpful. He loves his big brother role. Love you, Cole! You are doing a great job!!

I will leave you with this slide show of pictures to enjoy if you haven't already seen it.

Click here to view these pictures larger

What's Your Prediction??

Okay, Claire's arrival is soon approaching! Tell us your prediction of when she will make her big entrance in the world. Tell us how much you think she will weigh and how long you think she will be.

Re-Post: Claire's Room

I know most everyone that reads this uses Google Reader and I don't think Claire's post ended up there this time when it was actually finished. It was accidentally posted a month or two ago and went to Reader then, so I have a feeling it didn't put it there again.

If you missed it, then here it is:

Claire's New Room

Claire's New Room

I started this post almost 2 months ago. We were making great headway in Claire's room for a couple weeks and then it just turned into a storage unit again and absolutely no work was able to happen. Finally, tonight, I was able to get back in there, do some organizing, putting things away in the dresser and hang a few items on the wall. It is all coming together! I am so excited!

I decided that I wanted to have the bedding made because I did not find one that I just loved. There were parts to many but I was not able to buy just the parts, so instead I went to JoAnn's and found a pattern. I did make some modifications to it though. I found 3 fabrics on Fabric.com, 2 at Hobby Lobby and 1 at JoAnn's. My mom was able to do all the sewing for me. Thanks Mom!

I really hope Claire is a fan of bright colors because as you can tell her Mommy is a big fan!


The Old Guest Room...Is Now Claire's New Room!

It went from this...



Check out the before of the dresser in the corner. Brent's mom found that for him when he was moving to Houston for only $5!!! And it is heavy, solid wood, just needed some TLC. Thanks Dena!

To this...

Overview



The Wall Makeover






The Dresser
(See above for original look.) A little primer and a little paint can dress anything up.




Please forgive the color. It is not showing up right in the picture. It is called something Red Wine, so in person it looks more cranberry.


The Updated Pulls (Spray paint has been a HUGE friend of mine during this makeover.)


Finished Product


The Bookshelf

Before
Of course, I forgot to take a before picture. This shelf was mine as a girl and my parents bought it down from Tulsa for Claire to use in her room. It was solid white, but I thought it needed a little touch of color.

After


Bedding

(Crib skirt not shown here since it is already on the crib.)

Close-up of Bumper


Close-up of Favorite Sheet (this one is from PB Kids...matched perfectly...couldn't resist)


Close-up of Quilt Side 1


Close-up of Quilt Side 2 (my favorite side)


All Assembled in Crib




Curtains


The shears are from my college days and have been just hanging in my closet since then waiting for a place to be hung again. I am excited to use them again for Claire's room.

Wall Decor

Bird Scene Above Her Crib


On/Above Dresser


For All Her Hair Accessories


Above Chair