Watch Me Grow

while out shopping, jay and i purchased a christmas bear for claire, and the woman who checked us out gave me a fun idea. she suggested that we photograph claire with the bear at the same time each year. what a great way to watch her grow and change over the years! so, here she is this year at age, well...zero. claire really did have a good time playing with her new pal.

More Two Month Pics

what a doll...with so many faces.

the mafioso (YIKES)

the curious

the darling

Mom and Dad's Anniversary

already one year. WOW. time flies when you're having fun...and babies! since baby is too small to travel, we stayed close to home for the occasion. we checked into the same hotel that we stayed in the night we were married. we set up the baby's bed and put away our things, and then took claire to grammy's house. it was the first time (and only time) that I have been apart from her since she was born. mom and dad went to dinner, and i must admit that it was very nice. it was quiet and not rushed. i enjoyed the alone time with my husband but was anxious to pick up the little one. yes, she stayed in the suite with us. (she was with grammy for almost three hours. baby steps.) she slept well as usual and we had a wonderful, relaxing night. the next morning, mom and baby took a nice, long bath and she loved it! dad was on hand to take some sweet pics.

Nine Weeks

things are moving right along. claire's personality is getting bigger every day. she smiles purposely, coos constantly, and enjoys blowing bubbles. she also loves watching her mobile go round and round. her favorite thing, however, is light. any kind of light: sunlight, christmas lights, lamplight, moonlight, fluorescent light. she is constantly stretching and craning to look. she continues to roll over (both ways) and acts like she wants to crawl (believe it or not). while on her tummy, she holds herself up and tries to scoot backwards, hence the nickname scooter.

we just had our two month doctor visit, and claire weighed in at 11 lb 10 oz. she gained 21 oz since the last visit! what a chunk. this visit was a scary one for mom and baby because it was time for shots. YUCK. luckily, we had grammy there for back up (thanks grammy). my sweet girl screamed her head off, and it was heartbreaking. she ran a little fever and slept a lot but not too fussy. she's all better now and ready to celebrate christmas with her family. claire and her sisters made a photo calendar for dad. enjoy the pics. MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone.

see my sticker for being brave when i got my shot

feeling much better

'Tis The Season

tonight we took claire to utica square to meet santa and then to look at the lights at rhema. she and her sisters had a great time. supergirl sat right on the big guy's lap and listened to her sisters give their wish list. the christmas lights at rhema were a big hit! claire really loves looking at them, and mom loves seeing the reflection on her face. too much fun.

Film Debut...Kinda, Sorta

clearly, i have no idea what i am doing. it was dark and i was caught off guard. watch closely for smiles and listen for gurgles and laughs. i have asked for a mini camcorder for christmas. hopefully, i will get it and be able to shoot better video because i think we have a star on our hands.

Six Big Weeks Old

it's hard to believe that baby girl is already six weeks old. we had another doc visit and claire continues to grow...and grow...and grow. she weighs 10 pounds 5 ounces. holy cow! everything about her is bigger including her head, which increased by 1 1/4 inch in three weeks. claire is starting to coo and smile, and her periods of alertness are getting a little longer every day. she is focusing on our faces more and just looking around at all this new world has to offer. the christmas lights that dad put on the house are a big hit with the little one. she loves to go outside at night and marvel at his handiwork. it is all quite miraculous, and with each new day i am filled with just as much wonder as she is.

today we took claire to a professional photographer. oh boy. she cried, pooped, peed, ate, cried, pooped, peed, ate...she was supposed to sleep, but as always, she showed me who is running the show. we are hoping for at least a couple sweet shots, so cross your fingers.

Playtime at the Gym

what a superstar we have on our hands! grams said she thought claire was ready to play with her activity gym and she was right. baby is already reaching up and batting at the toys, and she is content to lay and play for up to twenty minutes at a time.

Playing House with Grams

what a super fun week we had with grams. we played, took walks to the park, and did a lot of relaxing. mom really enjoyed the week because grams did the cleaning, the laundry, and cooked a nice meal everyday for the family. what a blessing! it was a great time for little one to get to know the voice she heard for many weeks while in mom's tummy. we already miss her...

Boo!

what a great halloween...pet costume contests, parades, trick-or-treating BUT supergirl slept through it all, of course. she was supposed to be a skeleton but ended up going as a sleepyhead while her sisters went as super scary zombies. it was good practice and i know claire will be ready next year. hide your candy!

First Pediatrician Visit

tuesday was claire's first visit to her pediatrician, and there was nothing but good news. like all babies, claire's weight dropped in the hospital but she is quickly regaining. she is back up to 9 pounds .5 ounces from a low of 8 pounds 13 ounces. mom and dad were not surprised. it appears that we have a little piglet on our hands. she eats and eats and eats. doc was impressed with the rapid gain. her head did measure an inch smaller than at birth due to the swelling from being in the canal for so long. all in all - the visit was great except that claire had to be stripped down to a diaper, which she does NOT like. she much prefers the warmth of a tight swaddle. luckily, dad had a blanket handy. i was, of course, able to snap a quick pic to mark the occasion.

Picture Perfect

more pics because i just can't stand it. i have waited 40+ weeks to post photos of an actual baby, so i am going to feel free to go nuts. enjoy!

now i lay me down to sleep...



first stroller ride



i'm hungry, dad



sleepy head

Happy Birthday, Baby

we are thrilled to welcome catherine claire taylor. stats: a whopping 9 pounds 3 ounces and 22 inches long born on monday, october 18 at 5:10pm.

everyone has told me that having a child would teach me flexibility. they were right. holy cow. this child had plans of her own from the get go. birth plan? yeah, right. all natural? yeah, right. my water broke on sunday, october 17 at 4:33am. after twelve hours with minimal contractions and soaring blood pressure, we headed off to the hospital. iv's, meds, induction - you name it and i got it. after 16 hours i had finally dilated to a 10! woo hoo. time to have a baby, right? uh...no. we then began pushing...for 5 hours or so. the baby was having trouble moving under the pelvic bone. eventually, it appeared that her head was descending only to find that the cappitt (conehead) was actually swelling. 37 long hours later mom and dad were off to the surgical room for a c-section.

while claire's birth was not what we had hoped or planned for, we did get exactly what we wanted - a perfectly healthy baby girl. she had to battle breast feeding jaundice for a few days but her bilirubin levels are stable and she is well hydrated.

so far, claire has been a lovely baby. she is a great eater and sleeper. as each day passes, her alert phases get a little longer. it is fun to watch her little eyes look around in wonder at all of the new things this big world has to offer. we have taken a few walks to the park but mostly we stay around the house and just stare at this beautiful miracle.

brand new



three days old



hanging with sissies



cuddling with grams



grandpa and his sugarfoot...aka bigfoot

40 Weeks - Belly Shots

well...it appears that baby will not be making her appearance today, so dad and i decided to take a few photos. unfortunately, we have not done this throughout the pregnancy, but better late than never.

33-39 Weeks

ok...time is flying...or should i say WAS flying. the last few weeks have been quite exciting. we have had bio-physical profiles (super-sonic ultrasounds) weekly since 33 weeks. baby is scored on appropriate bone growth, breathing practice, proportions, fluid, proper weight gain, heart rate, activity level, etc. we are happy to report that little one has scored an 8/8 on each test. as of yesterday, super girl was 6 pounds 14 ounces, her feet are approximately 3 inches long, and the pictures still show lots of hair floating around. overall, both mom and baby are doing great!

with all of that being said...i am ready to have this baby. i have truly enjoyed every moment of this pregnancy from the first sound of her heartbeat to the long nights of endless kicking and flipping, but we are all ready to meet the little one. sleep is sporadic and often uncomfortable and i should have considered purchasing stock in charmin as i cannot seem to stay out of the restroom. i am finally making progress, which is great news. i have begun dilating and have thinned to 70%.

so...cross your fingers and say a prayer for us. hopefully, we will be welcoming our little girl very soon!

TAA DAAAA

the nursery is finally complete. well, except for the rug that is on back order. my wonderful and patient (did I mention patient) husband has done an exceptional job and these pictures really do not do the room justice. luckily, most of you will be by to visit the little one at some point. jaye put up lovely chair rail and we painted the top and bottom of the wall contrasting shades of pink. he also installed a chandelier (grams idea) and it really finished off the room. all we need now is BABY!










you all thought that my sister-in-laws home made shower gifts were incredible, so check this out. she made this wall hanging. look familiar? it's exactly like the header of this blog page. again, the picture does not do it justice. trust me...it's fantastic!