dear clara (two months and four days)

Looks like we've all made it through the last two months without any visible scars. (Except the ones you've made on your face from unconciously clawing at yourself with your micronails while you eat or sleep...) And you seem to feel like your daddy & I are doing something right, since you've started to reward us with the sweetest little smiles and coos. Of course, the monkey on your play-mat must also be contributing to your emotional upbringing, since you flirt with him shamelessly as well.

At your eight-week doctor's appointment we learned that you weigh 10 lbs 6 3/4 oz, and are 22" tall. Even though this is a huge gain from when you were born, you still seem pretty teeny to us. But you aren't the little kid on the block anymore. Two weeks ago you gained two new girlfriends: Petra (born November 4 to Teena Videriksen) and Emily (born November 9 to Brian & Louise Byrne. Photo below). We've met both lovely little ladies, and are thrilled to have new friends with whom to share this crazy adventure of parenthood.


You also celebrated your eight-week birthday by getting pumped full of viruses for your first round of vaccinations. :( Thankfully we had a very skilled nurse who made them as quick and painless for you as possible, and after only a moment of pathetic upside downey face, you were easily consoled by the all-magical-boob. (Oh, how sad it's going to be when I don't have this power anymore!)

You're at this weird in-between stage with the baby bath we have for you, where you're too big for the hammock so we can't clean out your neck funk (oh, and it gets funky in there), but you're not big enough for the next stage of the bath. So to simplify things, we've just started taking you in the shower or tub with us.


The first time we did this with your daddy, you weren't too sure about the whole thing. "Water? It's falling out of the sky? On me???" But after a few moments you closed your eyes, laid your head back, and totally blissed out. Me, I got water all over the floor of the bathroom because I had to stand in the bathroom with the shower curtain open to watch the whole event.

I'm now over halfway through my maternity leave, and can't believe how fast this is all going by. I'm trying my best to take mental (and actual) snapshots of the sweetest parts of every day with you, because I have the feeling that I'm going to turn around and you'll be leaving for college. I wish I could bottle the way it feels when you fall asleep on my shoulder or when you give your daddy big gummy good-morning smiles. You are truly a miracle in our lives, sweet Clara Bear. Happy two-months-on-earth!


love, mama