Babies Build Character

If anyone wants to develop patience, self-denial, and/or high blood pressure, he or she should have a baby.

It's like this.  You are responsible for this little person who can't talk and doesn't really know what's going on.  She doesn't understand that it's important to be quiet during a wedding.  She doesn't realize that the food is warm and ready right when she needs to be bounced.  She certainly doesn't comprehend that her needs can't be met until we find a spot to pull the car over.  It doesn't matter how much you've anticipated a certain event or occassion... all she knows is that she's tired or grumpy or hungry or overstimulated, and all she can do to try to make it all get better is cry.  And no matter how much you may want to or believe you can, you can neither control nor reason with this little person.

I've concluded that mom's don't necessarily have "the special touch" with a fussing, upset baby.  It's just that they have no one to defer to, so they just have to keep trying things until something works.  

Parenthood is quite an experience, and one I'm loving, but it does indeed build character!

Going Trendy, Green, and Thrifty

Yes, we switched to cloth diapers.  It was a decision accompanied by hours of research, deliberation, and analysis.  I'm actually really excited.

Pros

• It's cool.
• Clara looks so cute in them! 
• They're effective and user friendly.
• Fewer blow-outs
• It saves money!  Despite the initial cost, they'll have "paid" for themselves in 9 months.  After that it's basically free to diaper Clara and any future children, as long as they endure, which supposedly will be a long time.  ...One can only hope after going to the trouble and expense.  

Cons

• More laundry
• More contact with unappealing diaper contents
• Smellier nursery

Hopefully my enthusiasm will continue.  Cost aside, I'm glad I'll no longer contribute such a large volume of diapers to the local landfill each month.

Baby You're A Firework

The Fourth of July

Just a week or two late...

Clara carried the chairs.

All set up in the Chesterfield Mall parking lot
and ready for the action to begin.

We played "Baby You're a Firework" for her in the morning
and proceeded to sing it to her all day.

Waiting for the fireworks to start.

Clara quietly watched the 30 minute show, slightly jumping with each explosion.
This seemed like a miracle due to the fact that she usually struggles if she's up past her bedtime
and fireworks make loud bangs which tend to upset her.

The night was a success!

Clara's Favorite Thing

I feel like I've lost a battle here. Clara now spends hours a day sucking on that thumb!

The bright side-- she cries less and is now much better at calming herself down.  I guess God created thumbs for a reason!

Let's just hope it doesn't become a problem down the road...

My Favorite Thing

My favorite thing is getting Clara when she wakes up the morning and cuddling.  She smiles a lot in the morning because she's happy, rested and fed.  We like to play and snuggle, and she's even beginning to laugh upon occasion.  Most importantly she's still in feety pajamas at that point in the day.  There's something extra-cuddly about a baby in feety pajamas.  I love it.

And I get to start every day this way.

Sweet.

Clara's ESPN and FSN Debut

 

This week we had the pleasure of spending some time with our friends the Kreisels.  On Thursday we had a fun day planned, including making breakfast, a tour of the Anheuser Busch brewery, and a Cardinal's game.
Unfortunately, Murphy's Law seemed to reign.
Fortunately, our long string of mishaps became comical by the end of the day.

• It all began when the power went out in the morning.  Clayton is in the shower at the time which left him in an unfamiliar bathroom in the pitch black.  This made our elaborate breakfast plan impossible, so we eat cereal --a let down that we all handle with optimism.  
• The power eventually comes back on and we move forward with our plans for the day. We have a successful lunch
• It rains during the brewery tour.  Thankfully Clara is in her stroller, but Zoe had less protection
• Clayton's sandal brakes as we were leaving.
• It begins POURING rain as Mitch leads our little caravan to a nearby Family Dollar (in a barred window area) in an attempt to find Clayton a shoe
• We all huddle in our cars as Clayton sloshes in, dangling the broken shoe from his right foot in an attempt to continue wearing it.
• Family Dollar doesn't sell sandals
• We then go several miles out of our way to Target for a shoe (thank you "Gary" the Garmin!) 
• Both babies have become very upset by this point... especially Zoe, who has a particularly strong set of lungs.  It's hard to be confined in a car in a storm with a crying baby.
• Kreisels get separated from us in the heavy rainfall and miss a highway interchange.  It takes them quite a while to get turned around (thank you cell phones!)
• While we're waiting for the Kreisels at Target, we learn that this storm will be around, with large hail, for quite and while, and that the Cards game will delayed and possibly postponed
• Target doesn't sell size 13 shoes. Clayton settles for size 12.
• We decide to go to dinner at Cyrano's to wait and see what would happen.  Clayton and Mitch don't want to give up on the game but no one wants the babies out in the rain.
• When we get to the restaurant the Kreisel car seat won't fit in the high chair
• Some of us are a bit stressed out by this point
• Eventually the Cards game is played, but we don't discover until they were already started
• We get to the game in the third inning. Some people are sitting in our seats.
• After three innings it starts raining heavily.  The game is delayed another 50 minutes.
• We stick it out and end up getting better seats because so many people leave early
• We, especially Clayton, are excited about catching a home run ball.  It comes tantalizingly close, hitting the guy just below Clayton.  Unfortunately, it was a home run for the opposing team, which led the their eventual victory over the Cards.
• Clara is doing great sleeping in the baby carrier until a du-du-du-du-dut-du charge! lady whistler joins us two rows down.  She whistles so loud that poor, tired Clara wakes up and begins crying.  She then proceeds to stay awake the rest of the evening until we arrive back at home.
• That was at 12:30am, Clara's latest night ever.

And yes, we did make the highlights on both ESPN and FSN due to our home run proximity.

At Cyrano's

Hanging out at Cyrano's for dinner.
We're still not sure how we feel about this experience.

Mitch set a fast pace walking to the game.
He doesn't like to be late!

Finally at the Cardinal's game!

Mitch and Clara and I are having fun

Before Clara was awoken by the lady whistler.

When it was all said and done we had a great day.  And the babies handled it all better than anyone else!

Bowling

Clara joined us for a fun evening of dinner, bowling, and a movie with our friends the Siegels last night. Unfortunately, she failed to fully appreciate the experience.  

She started crying around the time our pizza came.  By the time Shaun was finished eating, Mitch and I were barely started.  Shaun showed off his dad-skills by not only taking charge of our Crier, but also entertaining his own son son, Jacob, while the rest of us ate.  We were impressed.

Her wails didn't fully subside until the middle of our second game of bowling.  During the midst of all this we learned that she's forgotten how to take a bottle, which added to her frustration.  I ended up nursing her, which resulted in my highest-ever bowling score due to the fact that Mitch had to fill in for me on several frames. 

When she finally settled down, she enjoyed some wide-eyed bowling spectating with her buddy Jacob.  Finally, when cosmic bowling commenced, she drifted off to sleep in the darkness and flashing lights to the cranked-up vocal stylings of Rebecca Black. 

What an evening!  At least it all ended with ice cream.