Northern Vacation

While visiting my parents up in Jackson, NH, Clara and I cross country skied for the first time.  I have always grown up downhill skiing in the White Mountains and have never slowed down to try cross-country skiing.

My brother and I skiing at Bretton Woods.

Let me tell you, what a workout I was in for!  We went for two days and I could feel the burn in my legs each day.  My father had purchased a Burley for Clara to ride in while he pulled her.  She ended up napping each day while we enjoy the intense workout and beautiful scenery.

In the Burley

One of the many rivers we passed over.

Clara's first time in the White Mountain National Forest

All warm and well rested in Grampy's truck.

Overall we had a fantastic and relaxing time up in Jackson.  We got to see my mom's two sisters, Cindy and Sue and my cousins Richard and Robert.  We enjoyed spending many hours laughing and eating great winter comfort food.  We can't wait to go there again.

Jackson, NH

Today Clara and I are off to my parents' ski house in Jackson, New Hampshire.  We are so excited for our trip, but will miss Daddy and Wally, as they still have work this week.  Wally will be sleeping, like everyday and Daddy will be bring home the bacon!  Love you both.

15 Months

This morning Clara had her 15 month appointment and did a great job.  Like always she was very active around the exam room and pulling open drawers and cabinets to see what they had to offer.  She weight in at 23lbs. 4oz. which puts her in the 66th percentile.  She was 31 inches (80th percentile), which hadn't changed since her 12 month appointment.  The doctor's office doesn't measure the most accurate way, but it was done twice, so it must be pretty close.  She is healthy and developing right on schedule.  She was walking around the exam room, and talking in her "baby talk".  The nurse practitioner was laughing!  She was amazed at how well Clara understood what you were saying to her and how she responded back, but in baby talk.
Overall, the appointment went well.  She did get her MMR and Chicken Pox shots, one in each arm.  This was her first shots in her arm, which only resulted in screaming for under a minute (not too bad)!  :)
I'll leave you with a picture from Clara yesterday.  She was feeding her baby some food.  She has never done this before and it's nice to see that she is caring for her baby, which I'm sure will lead to being the boss of her baby!

Pandora

For a birthday gift, my parents got me a Pandora bracelet.  I truly loved the gift, as it reminded me of my Great-Nana's charm bracelet that I inherited.  There was a pine tree charm that I remember looking at as a young girl and wondering what the meaning of that charm was to her.  Now with my own charm bracelet I will be able to build a memorable and unique piece of jewelry, that someday maybe I can pass down to a family member.

For Valentine's Day Matt and Clara added a new charm to my bracelet.  This is only my second charm, but it excites me to see what charms I may get in the future!

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Clara loves singing songs....

We sing songs in the car, changing her diaper, getting dressed, cleaning up after a meal, at story time.  Pretty much all day long.  It is a great way to keep her still and calm.  Especially, when changing a dirty diaper.  The other day when singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider she started doing the hand movements to the song.  As any mother, I was so proud of her and surprised that she caught on so quickly, since my hand are usually busy when we are singing.  

Here is her performance:

Welcome!

Since I am new to blogging, I will keep this short and sweet.  As a new stay at home mom I wanted a way to share with family and friends the ups and downs that my daughter Clara and I have.  She is a doll, but also has a ton of personality.  I hope you enjoy our moments.

Clara and I (November 23, 2009)