September 17, 2011

Our stake had a Harvest Festival outside at the stake center.  We had fun visiting with friends, listening to the talent show performers, and participating in the pie baking contest.  We ate corn dogs, chili, cotton candy (Paul had it, not me - I'm not such a big fan), and watermelon for dinner (not the healthiest menu, I know) and then had pie for dessert.  I really love these fair-type atmospheres with lots of people walking around talking and laughing and just having a good time. 

September 16, 2011

We were going to wait until the 19th (Clara's 4 month birthday) to start her on rice cereal, but I wanted Paul to be around for the whole weekend so that he could be really involved in her first few times trying to eat "real" food.  So far, so good - we have been giving her a little bowl in the morning and in the evening and she is doing a good job about eating almost all of it and keeping it in her mouth and swallowing!

Untitled from Amy Nash on Vimeo.

September 10, 2011

We drove up to San Francisco in the morning so that we could walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, since we had never done that before and I have been wanting too.  It was SO windy and pretty chilly so we kept Clara bundled up in blankets in her carseat for a while but she squawked at us because she wanted to see what was going on so I finally pulled her out and carried her, bundled up still, in my arms so that she could look around.  When we got to the other side of the bridge we put her back in her carseat in the stroller and she fell asleep as we began our return trip to the car.  Afterwards we got clam chowder and sourdough bread bowls at Fisherman's Wharf for lunch.

 When we got home Clara skyped with Grandma Cici and told her all about our day.  And yes, she was sort of sitting up (albeit in a fairly hunched over position) all by herself for maybe 15 seconds without falling over.  She has to use her arms to do it though so she can stablize herself.

September 8, 2011

After meeting with our caseworker, Heather, I drove over to Santa Cruz with Clara and took her for a LONG walk along the cliffs above the ocean.  It was foggy and cold so I was really glad that I had brought sweatshirts and a blanket for Clara.  We probably walked for 2 hours and Clara never once woke up. 

September 7, 2011

I felt so conflicted putting this cute purple knit hat on Clara.  It looked so darling on her, but it covered up her signature look - her amazing hair.  The ladies at the YMCA daycare were in rapture over her outfit when I took her to the gym with me.

September 4, 2011

Oh wow, I love these two people so much.  My little family.  This was right after church.

August 30, 2011

Clara bleeds blue.  Go cougars!

August 28, 2011

I needed to change Clara's diaper so I left her laying on a disposable changing pad while I ran into the other room to grab a fresh diaper.  When I came back, Claradactyl was hiding from me. 

Lil' stinker.

August 16, 2011

Today we tried pigtails for the first time.  They didn't stay in as well as the ponytail, probably because she kept rolling around and knocking them out, and because I was worried about putting the elastics in too tight and hurting Clara so they were a little bit loose to begin with.

August 15, 2011

I finally decided to try putting Clara's hair into a ponytail.  She looked so cute.  I felt a tight squeeze of love in my heart as I realized how much more grown up she looks with her hair done like this though - almost like a little girl instead of my tiny baby.  Paul and I keep gaping at how big she getting and it seems like she has grown every morning when take her out of her crib.

August 13, 2011

We went  out for breakfast to our favorite breakfast place, called Stacks.  Paul got the Farmer's Breakfast of two pancakes, hash browns, eggs, bacon, and sausage and I got the Banana Pecan Waffles and then we sort of shared.  Afterwards we went to the farmer's market in Saratoga to pick up fresh peaches and berries and see if we had missed the apricots.  Turns out we were two weeks late on the last of the fresh apricots, which was really sad for Paul because those are some of his favorites.

August 12, 2011

I think the sometimes I overwhelm Clara with kisses.  Not really - she loves getting kisses actually.  This is just a really funny shot.  I've been doing all sorts of crazy french braids lately.  This one started at the front left side then circled the back of my head and I finished it by pinning it into a knot on the front right side.  It actually looked pretty cool.

August 10, 2011

August 7, 2011

Sitting in the pew at church with dad.

A couple of weeks ago I picked up a BBC documentary about the History of Scotland at our local library and we have been watching a couple episodes each Sunday afternoon.  Clara woke up from a nap and was sitting on Paul's lap while I made cookies, and she was apparently very interested in the documentary too - maybe because Paul was actually letting her look at the TV screen even though I will normally blog her view because I don't want her watching TV this young.  Her hair is going a little crazy in this video, and yes, we purposely styled it that way for church, although it wasn't quite so wild before.

August 6, 2011

Clara has the BEST hair.  We've been trying out this new 'do.

August 5, 2011

Riding on the carousel at Lake Vasona.

August 4, 2011

For two days now Clara has been able to roll from her back onto her side like this.  She finally succeeded in rolling all the way onto her stomach, but then was unable to flip back over onto her back, which annoyed her. 

July 30, 2011

Hanging out in Windsor, CA (in the Napa/Sonoma region) to watch our friend Jason compete in a triathlon.

July 26, 2011

I took Clara for a walk to the bank and then to Target.  She was LOVING it and had this hilarious happy-alerted-grin the entire time.

July 23, 2011

Spending time at Manresa Beach.

July 22, 2011

Clara is always playing with her hair using her left hand.  It is something she has done since the first day she was born - probably even in the womb.  It is her comfort mechanism and she falls asleep this way a lot of the time.  

July 19, 2011

Clara turns 2 months old.

July 18, 2011

Clara's favorite toy is this Luv-Zoo playmate by Fischer-Price.

July 16, 2011

Camping with babies - more work, but definitely more fun.

July 15, 2011

At Costco getting ready for our camping trip.  Clara got hungry so we took a little bottle break.

July 10, 2011

Strawberry shortcake for dessert tonight.  Divine.

July 9, 2011

At Marianne's, our favorite ice cream parlor in Santa Cruz.  Paul got 10-20 (his favorite) and I got Raspberry Cheesecake swirl and Chocolate Brownie.

July 8, 2011

Clara does this funny thing with her hands when she is taking a bottle.

July 7, 2011

At Rio Del Mar Beach during Clara's growth spurt when she slept all the time.

July 4, 2011

Celebrating the 4th of July with friends and fireworks.  Sort of fireworks, I guess.

July 2, 2011

Paul installing attic vents to release the hot air that builds up in the attic and contributes to a warmer house on summer days.

July 1, 2011

We took Clara out to a restaurant for the very first time.  Everything went really well, although she decided she wanted to eat at the restaurant too. 

So we just took turns feeding her while dining on gyros and feta fries at our very favorite greek restaurant outside of Greece - Opa! in Willow Glen. 

Then we walked around downtown Willow Glen because the evening was so perfect.  People kept stopping us to ask how old Clara is and to coo over her adorableness. 

We bought fresh cherries and strawberries from a man selling them on the side of the street.  Paul used his spanish, which I love, and chatted with the guy about where he lives and where the cherries were from.  Turns out, I have been eating the wrong kind of cherries all my life, because the ones we bought were AMAZING.  They are the yellow and pink and red cherries rather than the dark purple cherries, which are the kind I am used to. 

June 30, 2011

Clara had to get her immunization shots today.  It was SO sad.  She woke up in the happiest mood this morning and smiled for me all morning long.  She grinned big grins at the doctor's office when the nurse was weighing and measuring her (9 lbs. 11 oz. and 21 1/2 inches long now at 6 weeks old) and she cooed and gurgled the whole time.  Then the other nurse came in with the needles and pricked her.  Poor Clara's face just crumpled into hurt and confusion and sadness.  I felt terrible.  She cried and cried and even when I held her she was just so sad.  She wasn't herself for the rest of the day.  I kept monitoring her with the thermometer for a rise in her temperature but she was just fine.  I went ahead and gave her baby Tylenol anyway because the doctor said I could if she seemed to be in pain and if I got shots in both hips, I would be in pain.

June 29, 2011

Nap time.  I love having a baby girl.  This outfit was a present from a friend in our ward and the quilt was a gift from Clara's great-grandparents on Paul's side, the Robertsons.

June 26, 2011

Driving home at the end of our vacation with Paul's family at Huntington Lake.  Clara didn't travel quite as well on the way home as she did on the way there - she got to hot, the sun was in her eyes, and then we think she got scared when she woke up and nobody was in the back with her.  So we ended up moving stuff around so I could sit with her. 

 When we got home, Paul and Clara took a nap together on the couch.

June 25, 2011

Kayaking on the lake.

June 24, 2011

Going for a walk along the beach at Huntington Lake.

June 23, 2011

Playing Scrabble at the lake with Paul's grandma and aunt.