Clara and her Pooh

She is super lucky to have such great Grandparents... this pooh and her cute outfit was given to her by Grammy.. Thanks!

My Little Chickadee :)

Today me and my chickadee got the okay for Mommy to exercise again... so we are headed down the path of healthiness :) yay! Came home for a bath and some photos :)

The Kellenbergers

Curt and Nancy bought a place in OCean City, and I went to visit.. what better a place to snap a photo of the cutest family ever, than on the beach! Four little girls, all very different, it just amazes me everytime I'm around them :) They're so well-behaved too. :)

Happy Easter!

Look what's in our Easter basket! :) A little chickadee!

Easter Bunny photos...

So, I didn't want to post the photos until Kris got his in the mail, but since he got his... :) here's her beautiful little angel sleeping Easter photo...

Happy one month!!

Clara's one month birthday! :) celebrated with mommy's homemade hats but.... she didnt like the fuzzy one that mommy didnt make. Sorry theres so many.. I just enjoy her facial expressions :)

When I got pregnant and started knitting, Kris told me I had to make her booties... so, here they are!! :)

Big Girl Crib :)

Clara has been spending more time in the crib, I'm trying to get her used to it. Today I put on a new sheet so she could look at the pretty giraffes. :) She's got the best Gramma ever, making her all these beautiful colorful backgrounds for photos.. I mean, sheets for the bed :)

It's easter time :)

While visiting Maryland, we didn't take very many photos, but here is the only shoot we did :) Bunnies!! We got her picture taken with the Easter Bunny too, but Daddy didn't get his picture yet, after he does, we will post here! Once again, Clara wasn't very cooperative, so... I had no choice but to laugh at her little cries. :)

I'll be waiting

heard a great song today.. I had downloaded Michael Franti's newer album and on there is a song called I'll be Waiting. Well, this was an appropriate picture to go with this song.. so I figured I would post it.

Its funny the little pieces of life you remember. I remember once when I was going through a break up a long time ago, an old manager I had at Bonefish Grill named Tom said.. "When you're going through a break up, never listen to the radio, because no matter what you will always find a line or something that will make you think of your situation and it'll make you upset." No, I'm not going through a break up, but longing for Kris to be home is pretty similar.

On the way to the hospital to have the baby, my mom and i had a pretty silent ride... and I turned on "Lucky" by Jason Mraz... well, it's me and Kris's song.. I cried hard for the whole song, singing through my tears... I almost wish I had videoed it.. it was a very sentimental moment...

I guess that little piece of advice was so true, but I can't be without music if I'm upset about something. A good song can totally make my day...

the caterpillar.

When I found out I was pregnant, my stepmom and i had a conversation about wanting to find a stuffed animal to photograph the baby with... I wanted a large animal that I could place her next to every milestone age and then be able to look at how much she grows over time. Well, she found this caterpillar and we loved it. So bright and cheery and happy... just like Clara Bear! So, here is Clara, 2 weeks old.. until next time.. :)

I almost feel like I should photograph me next to this thing... it's HUGE.. :)

clara's tattoo

considering some of my friends and that they are covered in tattoos, it seems odd to me when I'm out and people strike up conversations with me about mine. They are small and miniscule considering some. I mean, I understand when people ask Kris about his, that's noticable and I mean, C'mon... it's Popeye anchors!... so, like I said, when people notice mine which are just simple stars on my wrists, I'm always looking at them like "what the heck are you talking about?"

So, at the hispital a lady asked when Clara would be getting her first tattoo and I immediately responded with.. "Whenever she wants, as long as it's not some dumb boy's name..." well, that really truly is my response, but.. I just feel like that's an odd question to ask... does anyone ever ask people with pierced ears when they will allow their children to pierce their ears? or what about hair dye?

So, I think if we could get tattoos that match ours would be something along the lines of this old school type style... this was Clara's "going home from the hospital" outfit, but she actually fits into it now... it's quite sad...

We love you Daddy.

who does she look like game...

So, while I was in the hospital, everyone kept saying how much she looks like both of us, but then on facebook everyone swears she looks like me. I think she has a good bit of both of us... we'll see once she gets a little bit older... but, today I noticed that her eyelashes are growing super long, and that is definitely a trait from Kris, he has a hard time finding sunglasses because his eyelashes hit the lense, which is something that any girl would love to have. So, hope she ends up with this trait from him! :)

Just found out that Kris can view the blog, so it's an easy way to get pictures to him, because his email clogs up (i dunno WHO would write him so much that that would happen! :) ) So, I will be posting more and more Clara photos here! yay :) Maybe I should make her a blog... hmm.

growing up so quick...

our baby girl is already outgrowing Newborn clothes! and shes into the big girl cloth diapers now instead of the newborn ones!! she will be two weeks tomorrow!

my beautiful dreamer.

We never dreamed you'd be so beautiful...
In all of the times we tried to imagine
every last detail of who you would be,
thru all of the nights we spent quietly thinking
of how we would feel
when we first looked at you,
we patiently waited
and silently wondered.
We hoped and we prayed
and we tried to imagine...
but we never dreamed you'd be so beautiful.

it won't be like this for long

As you all know, Kris has been VERY supportive, moreso than some husbands who are physically here for their children! Last time we talked on the phone he said something that is somewhat bittersweet. There's a country song by Darius Rucker (yes, hootie) that's called "it won't be like this for long" (see lyrics below) and this was Kris's response to me in one of my ramblings about dealing with a newborn. I know there's an end in sight to all of this crazy hectic feeding and sleep schedule.... but, it's hard...

All my life, I am always the one in the crowd who says "no worries, I can do it" and 9 out of 10 times, I can... I surprise myself sometimes. Well, I made it through most of the pregnancy alone with family coming in and out helping when they could, which was nice to have... but sometimes, you just want your best friend there to hold your hand the whole way. Now, if you had asked me 4 years ago if I could make it through this alone, I would have said Yes, definitely, and I would have kept trudging forward as if nothing had happened. but, after meeting Kris, all of that changed. Yes, I'm independent, Yes, "I can do it" but... I guess the question lies in whether or not I want to do this alone... and i dont. I know even if he was here, I would still have to breastfeed and be awake and I would struggle just as much, but, I suppose "Misery loves company".. So, my motto for the next few months, in a bittersweet way will be, like my husband and Darius Rucker say... "It wont be like this for long"


He didn't have to wake up
He'd been up all night
Layin’ there in bed listenin’
To his new born baby cry
He makes a pot of coffee
He splashes water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss and says
It gonna be OK

It won’t be like this for long
One day we'll look back laughin’
At the week we brought her home
This phase is gonna fly by
So baby just hold on
‘Cause it won't be like this for long

Four years later ‘bout 4:30
She's crawling in their bed
And when he drops her off at preschool
She's clinging to his leg
The teacher peels her off of him
He says what can I do
She says now don't you worry
This’ll only last a week or two

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon you'll drop her off
And she won’t even know you're gone
This phase is gonna fly by
If you can just hold on
It won’t be like this for long

Some day soon she'll be a teenager
And at times he'll think she hates him
Then he'll walk her down the aisle
And he'll raise her veil
But right now she's up and cryin’
And the truth is that he don't mind
As he kisses her good night
And she says her prayers

He lays down there beside her
‘Til her eyes are finally closed
And just watchin’ her it breaks his heart
Cause he already knows

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon that little girl is gonna be
All grown up and gone
Yeah, this phase is gonna fly by
So, he's tryin’ to hold on

‘Cause it won’t be like this for long