One Year Ago...

Well, I don't have any new pictures of Claire to post, so I thought I'd include a few from last year around this time. We were gearing up for the fishing season, hitting the opening of the Madison and Yellowstone Park. I was getting used to my new fly rod--a gift from Nate for earning tenure. We haven't been hitting the rivers the past few weeks, but that doesn't stop me from believing we will be out there again, even this summer with Claire in tow!

Claire had a check-up yesterday. She's up to 8 pounds 5 ounces and has grown an inch, so she's right on track. Some of her newborn sized clothes are already getting small for her. We are looking forward to an upcoming visit from Grandma Norris next week when Claire will get lots of grandma hugs, kisses, and snuggles!

Start of Summer

We had some friends over for a barbecue last night (Jeanette and Kendal with children Devan and Natalie). We enjoyed some nice early summer weather, playing Bocce ball on the lawn and hanging out on the front porch eating ice cream. We are bringing Claire outside a little everyday--trying to foster a love for the outdoors early.

The tarp and posts are in the background because Nate has been busy the past two days building a fence around the front patio to protect some of our plants from the deer and from Hemmie running through the middle of the planting area.

In other news, Claire spent her first night sleeping in her nursery last night. We finally decided her grunts, groans, and squeaks were causing us to be more sleep deprived than we needed to be. She did well, waking at 2:30 and 5:00 for feedings, and we slept a little more as well. At this point we'll take every extra 15 minutes we can get!

One Month Old

Claire is one month old today. I can't believe how fast time has flown. (Of course, the first two weeks were a blur.) She doesn't seem like a newborn anymore; she is a changing baby. It's fun to see how she is developing--staying awake for longer periods, controlling her arms better, watching faces, becoming more aware of her surroundings, and getting ready to smile. She likes sitting in her bouncy chair and "playing"on her jungle gym play mat when she's not eating or sleeping. We are "developing" along with Claire--figuring out how to balance the car seat on all the various shopping carts, how to nurse and change a diaper in the back seat of the car, how to soothe her when she's cranky, and how to prepare and eat a meal while holding a baby. As the cliche goes, "Learning is a life-long process." Claire has just begun, and we are continuing with this new stage in our lives.

Showing off at School

On Friday, I lived up to my promise of bringing Claire in to my Advanced Placement English class. She was quite the little star, and after watching my pregnancy advance since the beginning of the year, the students were excited to meet Claire. Word travelled quickly, and soon she had a whole line of teachers and staff wanting to hold her and ooh and ahh over her. Once she started getting hungry though it was time to leave...I didn't relish the idea of finding a private place to nurse in a high school!

Claire finally surpassed her birth weight yesterday! Yeah! She weighed in at 7 lbs 6 ounces; this means we can stop going in for weight checks and just keep up the one bottle at night supplement. I braved a trip to the grocery store after the doctor's appointment; Claire slept through the whole thing until we got back on the interstate headed home, then she decided to start wailing. I ended up getting off the interstate to feed her since the 30 minute drive home seemed a long time to listen to her cry. Other moms assure me I'll get used to hearing her cry. I can say Nate might do the shopping for a few more weeks (which he is more than willing to do).

On Our Own

Today is our first day on our own without Grandma. Claire treated us to a whole five uninterrupted hours of sleep last night, so I am feeling rested and up to the challenge. Claire missed snuggling in my mom's arms in the morning, but she stayed happy in her bouncy chair during my shower this morning. I've even managed to get a batch of brownies in the oven this morning! (A priority since I seem to be craving chocolate more now than when I was pregnant.)

We have another weight check tomorrow (her three week birthday); we are hoping for lots of ounces!

Mother's Day

I had a memorable first Mother's Day. Of course, I loved that I am, in fact, now a mother, but the day was even more meaningful because my own mother was here to share it with me. We all went to church in the morning. (Claire didn't even make a peep.) Later in the day we enjoyed a turkey dinner, and in the evening we watched some home videos my parents had brought--a walk down memory lane.

My mom has been the real hero of the last few weeks, helping me to bring Claire to doctor's appointments, getting food, going to Target, tackling some spring cleaning jobs around the house, giving us tips on how to diaper, burp, and soothe Claire, and generally keeping me company and keeping me sane. She leaves this afternoon (my siblings are anxious to have her back in Washington for their own grandma time) so we will truly be on our own for the first time since Claire was born. She demonstrated in the past few weeks all the love, generosity, and sacrifice of motherhood once again. Thanks Mom! I love you!

Grandpa's Back

My mom has been here since a few days after Claire was born. My dad drove back here yesterday from Washington to spend the weekend with us and recollect his wife. (Mom turned down our offer to be an unsalaried nanny.) Dad's busy painting the master bath and guest room while he's here, and we all look forward to celebrating a special mother's day tomorrow.

Claire's Growing World

Claire reached her two week birthday on Wednesday. We are still working on getting her to put on some weight, but she was up to 7 lbs 1 ounce on Friday which was good news. We will keep supplementing with a few bottles and continue weekly weight checks to make sure she stays on track.

She has expanded her world a little in the last few days. We had a trip to school where she met some students and a few of my fellow faculty members. With grandma's help we did some grocery shopping, and last night after my dad arrived we enjoyed an outdoor dinner at a local restaurant.

Everyone comments on Claire's long fingers and toes, so I thought I'd include a picture. Except for her face, she is pretty long and skinny. My mom tells me I was this way as a baby too.

Settling in to Life at Home

We are now settling in to more of a routine of life at home. Figuring out all the new parent joys and tricks. We have a little less sleep, but love watching all our daughter's facial expressions, listening to her little squeaks, and holding her close. We haven't figured out who she looks like yet, but we keep studying her intently nonetheless. She has been a good baby; she never really fusses unless something obvious needs fixing (i.e. food, diaper) and she is easily comforted.

First Guests and Claire's Bili Light

Claire did end up needing some extra treatment for jaundice. We had a stressful few days of going back to the hospital (40 minutes each way) each day for blood tests and waiting for the results. Claire also spent three days attached to a special "bili light" at home. She ended up losing a little too much weight, so we had to supplement her feedings with formula. After doing this, her weight came up and the jaundice began to lessen. For a first time mom, the whole experience was emotional and stressful, and we were glad to finally spend one day at home without a trip to the hospital when she was 1 week old.

When we first came home from the hospital, we had my parents and sister with niece Elly as visitors. My dad and sister stayed only a a day and a half while my mom is here for two weeks to help as a recovery from a c-section is a little slower. Seeing baby Claire next to her 14 month old cousin Elly made us realize how quickly she will grow and how fast this first year will be sure to fly!

Bringing Claire Home

After staying in the hospital for four days to recover from the c-section, mom and baby were released to go home on Saturday. We imagined the moment of having her with us for nine months, and it didn't come close to the feeling of having her safely at home as a beautiful and healthy baby. She had a little jaundice when we were discharged so dad went right to work getting her some sun from our big picture windows as well as introducing her to the views of the Tobacco Roots and Spanish Peaks. Claire also needed to meet Hemingway, who was mostly interested in smelling her and still can't quite figure out what to make of all her strange sounds.

Welcome Claire!

Claire Meyer Cutler joined us on April 25, 1:15 PM. After 16 hours of labor we ended up needing a C-section. She weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces, measured 21 inches, and (we think) is pretty cute for a newborn baby.