Clara Josephine: Six and Seven Months

I'm disappointed in myself for not having Clara's six and seven month updates up on time.  I want to remember these milestones and moments years from now! Hopefully the Lord will bring to my mind all the changes we've had over the past two months! So, here we go!

Clara's personality is still as sweet as ever.  She's not as "smiley" as she used to be though. Now she seems to "study" strangers for a good while before she gives them a smile. But she's still so laid back and easy. Most days she will just crawl around (yes, crawling!) on the floor forever and just fuss when she needs a change of scenery. Then she'll do the next thing for a while, too. I didn't think Clara was in the "I need my Mommy all the time" stage until last week when I left her with a babysitter..and she screamed the whole time. Since then, she's been fussing if I'm not in her sight! I love you too, sweet girl!

So, big milestones...Well Clara is not only sitting up alone, but also crawling! She started sitting up unassisted right after her 6 month mark and army crawling right after that (or right before, not really sure!) Clara Jo is on the move! She's been officially crawling since she was right at 7 months old (almost to the day) and is getting more and more stable every day.. Now she goes wherever she pleases and even slipped out onto the front porch one day when I had my back turned and the door open! She is busy busy and we're having to be really careful about leaving anything on the floor because she will most definitely put it in her mouth.  She thinks baby toys are for the birds and much prefers big brothers' trucks and cars.

Clara has four teeth. And she's had them for a while. She got her first two teeth right before 6 months and the second two came in three weeks later.  That's right, four teeth in three weeks. It was intense. I'm thankful we've had a break from teething for a few weeks.  She was very uncomfortable. I'm sort of glad they came in fast just to get it over with...sort of glad. Unfortunately though, she has started gritting her teeth! Yuck! I try to stop her when I hear it. It gives me the willies!

Food. Well, we've tried sweet potato and banana. And she is not interested one iota. She won't even open her mouth when a spoons comes near. And if anything is put on her tray, she just squeezes it in between her fingers (although she eats everything that is not food!).  I'm not pushing it at all. I'm happy to wait until she's ready. Its a lot more convenient for me this way! She nurses about every three hours, more or less. And still refuses a bottle.

Nights have been interesting. Most nights, she goes to bed between 8/8:30, wakes around 1 and wakes again around 4-5. Sometimes though, she wakes around 11, again around 2, again around 5. Sometimes more....yikes. It has been a challenge! She's up for the day around 8/8:30 pretty consistently. I'm not sure why she's not doing longer stretches at night. I have let her cry a few times during the night, but usually I nurse her and she goes right back to sleep. Naps are really good though. She usually naps around 10am for 2ish hours and again around 2pm for 2-3 hours. I'm thankful for those re-charge times during the day!

Clara still wears size 3 diapers. I haven't done cloth diapers with her at all...and as of now I'm not planning to. Disposable diapers are just too convenient. She can wear both 9 and 12 month clothes. I'm loving getting see her chunky legs every day as the weather is warming up!

Sweet girl is babbling constantly. She will mimick me saying "ba-ba-ba-ba-ba" and has even said "Ga-Ga" and "Da-Da" a few times! They are the sweetest noises ever!

Clara took her second trip to the Cottage in St. Simons this month. She did really well during the 7 hours in the car! Good thing she has so much entertainment coming from the seat behind her! She seemed to enjoy the beach, although she'd had enough after about 30 minutes.  We managed to get all 5 of our family members on two bicycles! That was a sight to behold, I'm sure. But we all had a great time and enjoyed the time away.

Clara Josephine, Jo-Jo Seemy, Jo-Jo-Fina, Clara Precious Girl---you are a doll. We love you so much and pray that you will grow to love God and love people. Our lives are so much fuller because of you.

Jo Jo is Five Months Old!

Clara Josephine is five months old! We are so thankful to have had five full months with our precious girl and we pray for many, many more. Clara is just lovely. I can't tell you how many people she blesses each day with her sweet smile. The grocery store people, neighbors, her Daddy when he comes home from work--she always has a smile ready for anyone who will look her way.

Clara girl is rolling everywhere! She loves playing on the floor and rolls off her play mat almost instantly. She is on the move, that's for sure! Oma and Opa brought over a bouncy chair where Clara can jump and play with toys. She.is.obsessed! Girlfriend will bounce non-stop for 45 minutes! Its the sweetest thing! She is just so active and smiley!

Our nights are still going pretty well. Most nights C goes to bed around 8pm. She usually wakes around 3 and then again around 6:30? And then she gets up for the day between 7:30-8am. Most days she wakes up super happy and spends a lot of time playing on the floor. She's usually ready for a nap around 10am and will sleep for 2ish hours.  Her second nap happens around 2 (if I'm lucky that's also when the boys are napping) and she sleeps 2ish hours then too. This month, Clara has been doing a wonderful job of going to sleep in her bed all by herself. I nurse her to get her drowsy, turn on her sound machine, and say nighty night! Usually she coos for a little while and then goes to sleep. Some days, she's not having it and will scream incessantly. On those days I just pick her up and nurse her to sleep and figure we'll try again later :)  I'm so proud of her sleeping habits so far though! Most days I feel pretty rested. However, with three little ones with various needs during the night, I still find myself up multiple times helping someone. I know this is just a season!

We had another surprise snow day this month! This has been an unusually cold winter. We were thankful to have Daddy at home with us for two extra days and enjoyed playing outside in the snow! We went on a walk in 17 degree weather (we did NOT realize it was that cold!) and Clara Jo slept the whole time in the Ergo! I guess she was bundled just right.

Clara is teething like crazy and is sticking anything and everything in her mouth! She gnaws on hands, blankets, toys, and will even try to get her mouth on the side of the table to gnaw! I think her bottom teeth are close to popping through! Keep at it, girlie!

Clara is in size three diapers and we're still squeezing into 6 month clothes. I know she could probably wear 9 month clothes, but I'm trying to hang on to these sweet little outfits as long as possible! She wears a bow every single day...and John Hudson becomes concerned if she doesn't have one. Hah, I'm teaching him well :) I bought some little hair ties and she's even had her first "top knot" a few times. I'm loving all that sweet hair! I haven't started cloth diapering Clara Jo....and honestly, I don't know if I will. Ya know, sometimes you just can't (or don't want to) add another chore to the list. Daniel is still in diapers and for now, that's enough extra laundry. And I'm still using diapers that were given as gifts when Clara was born (blessing!!!). We'll see how it goes as I start to run out of that stash...but for now I'm content using 'sposies on our girl.  This mama just has a lot on her plate right now!

The boys have not tired of having a little sister one single bit. She is the highlight of their days. Clara and I went out of town for one night a few weeks ago to attend a sweet friend's wedding.  When we came home, it was clear that the boys missed Clara way more than they missed me! Haha! Such a sweet relationship they all have. I am thankful God has chosen to give them all to each other and I pray that those friendships will continue to grow.

We've had a lot of sickness going around this winter.  Some days I feel like we've been coughing and snotting since November! Thankfully, Clara has been spared from a lot of it.  She had a bad cough and sniffles around Thanksgiving and hasn't had anything else until last week when she started coughing again. She had a runny nose and sneezes too.  One night we were at Michael's school for a basketball game and she vomited everywhere..twice! It was so pitiful and hard to watch. I found myself worrying so much and not even wanting to go to bed that night because I was afraid she would stop breathing, etc. Every new challenge is a reminder to trust the Lord with my sweet babies. I want to believe that He loves them more than I do and He is their ultimate Protector. I'm thankful she's much better now and totally back to her normal, smiley self. Thank you Lord!

Clara Josephine, We love you sweet girl! May your cheerfulness and gentleness be a testament to the Lord's redeeming work in your life as you Lord willing, trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord!

Clara Jo is four months old!

Our sweet Clara Jo is four months old. She is an absolute delight and we adore this little lady more and more each month.

If I could describe Clara in one word it would be content. She is just so easy-going and sweet! Some days, I get to the end of the day and feel like I haven't even held her at all...because she's so happy playing on her mat, sitting in her bumbo, or hanging out in the rock-n-play. The only time she gets fussy is when she's sleepy. What a blessing!

Rolling--Clara is now rolling both ways like a champ. (As I write this she is four months plus 12 days). Its only been in the past few days that she has really gotten the hang of rolling from back to front. We all still celebrate every time she takes the plunge and rolls over. She is very proud :) When I get her out of bed from naps, most of the time she is laying on her back cooing and smiling.

We had Clara's four month check up last week. Our girl is healthy and growing strong. Thank you Lord! She weighs 16 lbs, is 26 inches long and her head is 16.5 inches. She is in the 95 percentile in height and 75% in weight. Her six month clothes are starting to get a little snug and we just moved up to size 3 diapers this week! I can hardly believe how fast she's growing. I feel like she was just born. 

It was so wonderful having Clara with us for Christmas this year. There's something so special about having a baby in your home around Christmastime. It reminds you of how helpless they are--and to think, the God of all creation humbled Himself and became just that--helpless and totally dependent on others. I really enjoyed reflecting on that magnificent truth this season.  For Christmas, Clara got some new bows, lacy socks, and this little Bible. We are excited to read this Bible as a family. We pray that our little Clara will reflect Jesus to the world and be a faithful servant of Him all the days of her life.

Clara is still sleeping pretty well; although she is waking more than before. I guess we've hit that magic 4 month mark! (Four months is when John Hudson officially stopped sleeping--until he was over a year old).  The past week or so she's been waking 2 times at night. But I'm still not complaining (Yet...hah). Her naps have been amazing though. She has been taking at least 2 solid naps a day (like 2-3 hours) and sometimes she does another cat nap in the evenings. We've been working to get her to go down for a nap on her own. Some days she does this really well...and some days she screams. Usually if she nurses first and gets good and drowsy, she goes down just fine.  She usually goes to bed around 8 and wakes for the day between 7-8 am.  She still sleeps in her crib right beside my bed and I still love having her so close.

Girlfriend Clara Jo loves to nurse! I'd say she still nurses every 2 hours when she's awake and will go 3-4 hours if she's napping. She still refuses a bottle, so leaving her with a babysitter is not really an option right now.  Although we did leave all three children with WaWa while Michael and I went to see the Atlanta Symphony during Christmas break. Clara did wonderfully! She not only went the whole time without eating, but also went to bed completely awake and fell asleep without a peep! It was really God's grace because we had it covered in prayer!

While we were at my parents' house, we decided to take a picture of Clara that recreated a picture of Michael when he was 3.5 months old. I guess we don't have to wonder who this little lady looks like....and I'm just fine with her looking just like her Daddy :) (although we have found a handful of pictures where she looks a little like her mommy!)

Clara is gnawing her hands constantly and sticking everything in her mouth, but we have yet to see any teeth! That's okay with me, as I'm not ready for another sign that she's growing up! However, the teething necklace does look extremely cute!

Clara Josephine, we love you sweet girl. You are a joy. May you always know how much we love you...but may you always remember that Jesus loves you more! He will be with you even when we can't be!

Clara and her BFF Irene ;)

Big girl in her bumbo seat

My New Body

Looking in the mirror these days is not something I enjoy. Honestly, I barely recognize my body anymore and some days I feel really sad about that. The stretch marks, the extra skin, the oh-so-attractive muffin top, the spider veins, the bald spots forming around my face from post natal hormones--some days I just want to "feel pretty" again. I want to look in the mirror and think, "Wow, those weeks at the gym have really paid off!" (I haven't been to a gym in 5 years...)  I'm just being honest here...some days I really struggle with my new body.

Last week I was planning to wear a dress I had worn in a wedding two years ago. As date night approached, I tried on my dress and the zipper wouldn't budge. Then I realized that none of the dresses hanging in my closet fit my "new body." I put them all in a pile for Goodwill...and I felt really sad doing so. It's like I've come to the end of era or something. After baby #1 my body bounced back pretty quickly. Baby #2 took a little longer, but I still felt okay. But now after baby #3, I'm realizing that some things will never "go back"--and this is the new me...mom bod and all.

I've really wrestled with this over the past two weeks. I know all the good Christian girl answers about how I am beautiful no matter what and its what on the inside that matters. And I believe those things. But I still live in a culture that places so much emphasis on appearance and perfection...even I get caught up in the lies and deception at times (much to the devil's delight).  But as I have prayed and wrestled and shared with others, the Lord has graciously girded my heart with truth. 

The truth is, my body is a temporary shell that is is quickly fading away. It is in a constant state of decay and one day, it will die forever. My body is what houses my soul while I live on this earth. My soul will live eternally. My body will not. And no matter if my body is fit and skinny and perfect or if it is saggy, squishy and "used up"--it will pass away. And one glorious day in Christ's eternal Kingdom, I will receive a brand spankin' new body.

So I have a choice to make. I can either sulk and pout over the way pregnancy has changed my body, or I can praise God for the opportunity to so tangibly lay down my life for the sake of another (John 15:13). I can consume myself with trying to get my pre-baby body back, a feat rooted in pride and vanity; or I can humble myself , eat nourishing foods, exercise when possible, and submit my body to God's pleasure--knowing that He wants to use my life to bear fruit for eternity. Eternity, folks! What an honor that my body has been used to create and sustain eternal souls. Oh, may I be a faithful steward of all He's entrusted me with. And may I glory in this "used up" body, for it has been His vessel to bring three precious image bearers into this world. And by His grace, may they grow up to proclaim His name boldly to the world. What a privilege that He would choose me to play just a small role in His story.

And when I stand in Christ's eternal Kingdom--Lord willing with my earthly children around me also worshiping the Holy Lamb of God--never will I ever say, "I wish I had spent more time at the gym" or "I wish my body had looked better on earth." I will only be consumed with His glory and goodness. And I'll be so glad my body was used for His purposes.

May it be so, Lord, may it be so.

Runny Nose Sanctification

I knew my attitude was fleshly. I could feel my patience drawing thin. I could hear the irritation in my voice. I could read it in my children's confused faces. Why was mommy acting like this? It's only 8 am! And the truth is...I knew I was acting "like this"...but I didn't want to fight it. Not in that moment. In that moment, I wanted to wallow. 

We woke up Sunday morning to more runny noses and coughing. It's been going on for a few weeks, off and on. The kids haven't been sick per say, but these symptoms just keep lingering. Michael and I both knew we couldn't take them to the church nursery with those nasty coughs. But staying home meant that I couldn't go either. And that was not how I wanted my Sunday to go.

I felt the comparisons brewing in my mind and heart. How come he never has to stay home with sick kids? It must be nice to have so much freedom to do whatever you'd like. I wish I could just get up and go without having to plan for three tiny people's every need. Of course, I knew I was being irrational. He has stayed home with sick children before, but today he had obligations at church. He actually doesn't have a lot of freedom as he balances work, home, church, friends, etc. And while he may not plan for the daily needs of three little ones, he is responsible for the daily well-being and academic success of twenty-seven sixth graders. The truth is, this had nothing to do with what my husband does or does not do. This battle had to do with the condition of my wayward heart. 

You see, I woke up Sunday morning with a very specific agenda in mind. I was excited to get out of the house and fellowship with other believers at church. The days have been long since Michael has been coaching basketball, and any opportunity to get out of the house is welcome. I was looking forward to worshiping the Lord corporately, and quite frankly, getting a short break from the constant demands of mommyhood. I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me when suddenly, I was faced with another day at home.

With hot tears stinging my eyes, I opened my Bible. 

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28

Ouch. He came not to be served. But to serve. If anyone deserved to be served, it was Him. If anyone deserved a "day off," it was Him. And yet, He looked to the Father for strength and simply pressed on...loving...giving...serving...forgiving...healing...speaking...praying...

Oh friends, this life is so not about me. It's about Him and His Renown. His glory. His fame among the nations. And this motherhood thing? It's a calling. A privilege. Just one way I can lay down my life just as He laid down His for me. 

And the truth is, this season will not last forever. Yet the momentary sacrifices of motherhood have the potential to reap eternal benefits.

So my prayer today is that I will meditate on Jesus and His beautiful example of servanthood. That I would think of Him and His love for people--even when he must have felt frustrated, annoyed or just plain ole' burnt out. That I would submit my wayward will to my Father's will and accept His agenda for my day, realizing that He is using all things and circumstances to sanctify me. 

He knew that the best thing for me on this Sunday morning was to be "stuck" at home with three needy little people. He saw that there are (many) places in my heart that need to be challenged, bent, and conformed into His likeness. And He knew that runny noses and fussy babies were the best way to accomplish His will for my life on this particular day. 

May it be so, dear Lord Jesus. Sanctify me for your glory and renown! 

For this is the will of God, your sanctification.

1 Thessalonians 4:3

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Our Jesse Tree

One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is doing the Jesse Tree every night during Bible time. A Jesse Tree is just a special way to celebrate advent and has been a fun way to engage our boys in Bible time. Basically, its a chronological countdown of the events leading up to Jesus' birth. The Jesse Tree concept comes from Isaiah 11:1, "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit..." And the passage goes on to describe who we now know is Jesus, our  beloved Messiah.

I knew last year that I wanted to incorporate the Jesse tree tradition into our celebration of Christmas. ...and that's where I hit a mental block. I am not a very crafty person, and the thought of spending hours sewing detailed ornaments just felt really overwhelming to me. I found some beautiful ones on Etsy, but they were all more than I wanted to spend on this project.

So I did some research and found this blog post where the lady had used the Jesus Storybook Bible to create her Jesse Tree. If you follow the links on the blog, you can also find a link to download the exact pictures she used for her ornaments (I think I paid $6 for the download and it was totally worth it!). I cut out the pictures and modge podged them onto little wooden rectangles I found at Hobby Lobby. I drilled a hole in each rectangle and put a loop of string through them and Voila! My ornaments were complete.

Now I just had to find a tree for the ornaments. Last year, I had in my mind that I wanted a tree made of sticks from our yard. Well, we managed to make the tree, but it did not hold up well. After a few weeks of wear and tear, it was basically demolished. So this year we had to find a different solution.

When we were at my parent's house for Thanksgiving, I spied an old wooden pallet outside and I knew there had to be a way to transform it into our Jesse Tree. A quick search on pinterest affirmed my suspicions. My dad and Michael went to work with a chain saw and a yard stick, creating our "tree." When we got home, I attempted to spray paint the tree, but the wood just soaked up the paint ...so we ended up with a white washed look instead, which I actually like! Finally, I added tiny nails and Christmas lights and we ended up with this:

Before Lights

With lights and ornaments

I am so pleased with how it turned out! The boys are loving our Jesse Tree tradition. Every night during Bible time, we read the passage that corresponds with that night's ornament. After our prayer, song, and memory verse (I plan to do a more detailed post about our family Bible time later), the boys get to rummage through the Jesse Tree box and find the right ornament. Then they take turns placing the ornament on the tree. It has been so special to watch the tree fill up with ornaments as we count down to Jesus' birth. May our hearts be bent towards Him alone during this special season.

Clara Josephine is Three Months Old

Our precious Clara is three months old. How is it possible? We are so in love with this little lady. She is a delight to our home! Clara has the sweetest countenance--just looking at her makes her smile so big that it swallows her eyes. She loves to coo and especially coos at her big brother John Hudson. He spends a lot of time talking to her, so its just natural that she'd want to talk back :)  It seems like they have a really special relationship.  Of course, Daniel loves Clara too, but his attention span is much shorter and for him, one little kiss and hello will do. The boys call Clara "Jo Jo" and its looking like that nick name just might stick :)

Clara has been an exceptional sleeper. By three weeks she was sleeping 5-7 hour stretches. Now she usually sleeps between 7-9 hours a night and then sleeps a few more hours after nursing. Honestly, some nights I wake her up to eat because my body is saying, "My baby needs to eat!" if you know what I mean. Its so true that you can handle almost anything during the day if you are getting sleep at night. I am so thankful Clara has been a good sleeper and I know it is a gift from the Lord. I also know it might not last...but for today, I am thankful. And rested.

Clara loves her mommy milk. She is a great nurser. During the day, I'd say we nurse about every two hours (if she's awake). I offer it any time she says "Wah"...haha. She refuses a pacifier. Which is fine with me, but it would be nice if she'd take one in the car. But no, she gags and sputters like something awful has been put into her mouth.  Clara is also not very fond of a bottle. I left her with Michael for about 3 hours the other week and she drank a whopping 1/4 ounce! So we are pretty inseparable right now (which is fine by me!). 

Naps are still pretty unpredictable. She loves to nap attached to my body in the moby wrap or ergo. This works great for morning naps because we are often out and about anyways. In the afternoon I always attempt to lay her in her crib to nap. Some days she will sleep 3 hours. Some days she will sleep 15 minutes. Today, for the first time I tried laying her down awake for her morning nap (in the closet, the quietest room in the house). She whined for about 10 minutes and then much to my surprise, she went to sleep! I was rejoicing! We'll see if she will do that again or if it was just a fluke...

Clara hated her car seat for the first 6-8 weeks of life. And the word hate might be an understatement. She would scream hysterically from the moment we strapped her in until the moment we got her out (I think 45 minutes was the longest single stretch she cried, but that feels like an eternity when you're trapped in a car!). Thankfully she's doing much better in the car now and spends time sleeping, cooing, and only sometimes crying.

Clara's personality is really coming to life. Like I said earlier, she is smiling constantly. She's really enjoying her play mat, too. She will lay and kick and coo for pretty long stretch of time! She can also bring toys to her mouth to suck and gnaw. It really seems like she's already teething too because she is constantly gnawing on her hand. The doctor predicted she'd have a tooth by four months, so we'll see! A few weeks ago (at 11 weeks), she rolled over from belly to back two days in a row...and hasn't done it since. Hah! But I'm in no hurry for another reminder that our baby is growing too fast! At Clara's two month appointment, she weighed 13lbs 15 oz and was 24.5 inches long. She is in size 2 diapers and 6 month clothes. We are so thankful for a healthy baby girl.

Clara Joesphine, you are our sunshine girl. You have brought so much healing to your Mama's heart. We pray that the Lord will use your sweet countenance and joyful face to bring much glory to His name. May you know how much He loves you and may you always allow Jesus to pursue and win your heart.  We love you so much!