People Lover!

Claire, you are gonna be such a people person when you get older. Since you came along, your dad and I have tried to keep up our normal hobbies that we really enjoy doing.... which means that you get tagged along for the ride! You were at Seussical rehearsals at the junior high when you were just 2 weeks old. Grandma Schmidt was so great to watch you and show you love in the back of the auditorium while your dad and I taught the kids. While I finished working, you were passed between different people, all of which had so much fun looking after you! Now, your father and I doing a summer show, "She Loves Me." Instead of leaving you with a babysitter, we just take you with us, and you do so good! You are happy and you smile at people until you get hungry or need a diaper change. Sometimes though, neither one of us can hold you, and you get passed to a cast member- And none of them seem to mind. They love looking after you, and you smile and make cute sounds for them. I just want you to know Claire that you are so loved! Not just by me and dad, but by everyone around you. You are contagious :)

Road Trip

We took you on your first trip last weekend. Dad decided to take us on a spontaneous trip to Manti to go see the Mormon Miracle Pagent. I was so worried that you would hate the car ride and bawl through the pagent, but I was completely wrong. You were an angel. You slept through the whole car ride and you hung out when we ate dinner and played games. During the pagent you watched 20 minutes before you fell asleep in our arms and I laid you in the car seat. I didn't think that you would sleep through the night because of all your naps during the day - but you slept from 10 at night until 6 in the morning and you let mom and dad have a good night rest in the hotel.

You are a great road tripper!

Just Keep Swimming...

Claire -

Me and dad took you swimming for the very first time! You looked adorable in your swimming suit and you had mixed feelings about the whole experience...

Don't you look stoked to go swimming soon ?

You liked the changing into-your-swimming-suit aspect of it with both parents helping you.

The minute we walked into the closed off pool the noise or humidity bothered you and you started bawling

After I cuddled and reassured you and held you close - you started to kinda like the water .
We're gonna practice lots this summer and soon you'll be splashing around!

Smarts

Claire -
Even though you are only a few months old, we can see how smart you are. It may sound trivial, but you actually know when we're changing your diaper and you help us. After we pull off the first dirty diaper, you hold up your legs while we wipe and put on a clean diaper. While we are attaching the sides, you straighten and lower your legs to help us get a good fit.

That's right Claire, you're practically almost potty trained! :)

Dressed for Success

Claire, I want you to know that you are the cutest little baby. I know this, because I try hard to make sure that you are always dressed to match and that you have a bow or flower in your hair. I want other people to love you as much as I do, and a first impression always starts with good looks. Occasionally, I get teased about the fact that you always have a bow in your hair. I go walking with Kasia Shepherd and her new baby girl Jaden and the other day she said, "Well, if your daughter ever gets lost just tell people to look for the hairbow." If I take you to early morning family activities and you still have your pajamas on, your aunts and uncles ask where the hairbow is and say, " I don't think I've ever seen her without a bow in her hair."

It may seem silly, but an accessory in your hair finishes off your big eyes and cute smile.

Not a Morning Person...

Yesterday we got to see a little bit of your personality come out and we saw that at least right now in your life, you are not a morning person. It was Grandma Schmidt's birthday and we were invited over for some breakfast cake to celebrate very early in the morning. We got all ready while you slept, and when we were ready to go daddy picked you up to buckle you in your pajamas. You stirred in his arms and started to wake up. Panicked, dad started singing the most annoying little jingle right in your face - ba ba bu bu bop ba. You took one look at him and started screaming! I informed him, "Honey, would you like to be woken up with someone singing that in your face?" I don't think the thought had ever occurred to him. After a bit you calmed down and were super cute and smiley at grandma's house.

We'll have to see if you like mornings when you get a little bit older.

Bubbles!

Claire-
Today you started making spit bubbles in your mouth while laying on our bed. So cute! These pictures don't do justice to your creativity :)

11 Weeks

Claire -

You are almost 3 months old now! I can't believe it! In the last week I have seen so many changes in you - though I'm not sure if I'm just seeing them now because I'm not working or if you really are growing up and developing.... I'd like to think that it's the later.

The last 3 days you have been so vocal! It's so cute to hear you cue and make all kinds of noises. Sometimes I have to decide if you are upset and squawking or if you're just seeing what kinds of sounds you can make. Today you also did your first raspberry! I thought it was gas until I looked at your face and saw that tongue sticking out and watched you do one for myself.

You are also starting to discover your hands. For a whole day you wanted nothing to do with your favorite binky because you just wanted your hands to be inside your mouth! You're also becoming quite the boxer with those hands - you found out how to make fists and wave them around in the air. When dad and I are feeling playful we like to make you "box" us, which of course you always win.

I like to give you fun nicknames that constantly change - lately one of my favorites is "stinky". The story behind that is that Grandma Schmidt likes to buy you diapers that for whatever reason don't really fit.... and you have had so many blow outs lately! So my little stinky, you have given mom lots of laundry to do!

2 days ago you laughed for the first time. I wasn't sure you were really laughing until you did it 2 more times for confirmation. We were having our mirror time and I was showing you my crazy faces that you love and that make you smile - when you laughed! Cutest sound ever! It made my whole day! After 2 more long giggles you got the hiccups and decided that laughing required too much work and you went to sleep.

Oh how I love my girl! It's so much fun to see you grow and see your little personality come out! All those 4 am feedings are totally worth it when you smile at me and melt my heart.

Hello World .... It's me!

Dear Claire -
It's mom. I've started this blog as a way of keeping a journal for you. Our family blog will cover our activities and things that we do, but this blog is all about you. In a show, cue-by-cue means that the actors and tech crew examine the details of the show going step by step, making it perfect. That's exactly what this blog is going to be -this is your cue-by-cue Claire. It will go into the details of your life and the day to day fun that we have together. One day I hope to publish this blog into a book so you can have a copy for yourself, and know how much you are loved.

Claire, you were born on March 27th, 2010 at 11:31 at night.

Here's the story that we tell everyone:

She's Here! And extremely early I must say - 2 weeks!
It started out as a normal weekend until I woke up at 3 o' clock in the morning with contractions that were fairly regular. To keep my mind off the pain I took a shower, rocked in the baby room, and tried to sleep all while Kelland followed me around the house with a worried look on his face. We tried to make it a normal Saturday by running errand and buying me a cute robe to wear in the hospital just in case this was the real thing. In Walmart they started coming every 2-3 minutes.
Kelland, "I'm taking you to the hospital."
Me: "No, I just have to hold on long enough to get to the shower in two hours." - My best friend Annie threw me a 'theater friend' shower with all the people I've done shows with in the last couple of years and I was so excited about it!
Kelland: "Ashley, that's ridiculous, we're going now."
They checked me, called my doctor and asked if we wanted to have a baby today. After missing my vein 3 times for my iv, I got my epidural and life was so much happier :)

She was born at 11:31 on March 27.
She weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces and 18 and a half inches long.
She got her hair from her father because I was bald until I was 2!

After birth however she's had a few problems - breathing, jaundice, dehydration and a possibility of having a dangerous infection called Group Beta Strep.
Time sure jumbles together when you have been living in the NICU and hospital for a week.