1 week

Claire is over 1 week old already, and I'm pretty sure I've never had a week fly by as fast as this past one. Claire's jaundice was (and still is) more on the serious side so I had pump out milk and bottlefeed it so we could measure how much she was eating. We also had to keep track of how often she ate (every 2 hours), every dirty diaper, weight, and bilirubin levels. The nerd in me secretly likes this part:


Feeding Claire every 2 hours has broken my days into 2-hour increments: one hour is spent pumping, bottlefeeding, washing bottles and pump parts, and changing diapers. The other hour is spent driving Claire to the lab to have her blood tested, driving Claire to the doctor's office, eating, sleeping, or paying attention to the other girls. Oddly enough, this isn't driving me crazy. Yet. I find myself savoring what is probably my last newborn experience.

In other news, Katie is 16 months old! She is definitely in an adjustment phase with having Claire around (read: whines a lot), but otherwise is the sweetest and most hilarious thing to have around. This is one of my favorite ages. And she is walking!!

claire's birthday party

When we brought Claire home from the hospital, the girls hadn't met their new sister yet. They had been busy preparing a birthday party for her! Meg helped her grandma make a birthday cake (the "2" is because she was 2 days old).


Always good to have a reason to throw a little birthday celebration! Don't know why Katie is wearing nothing but a diaper and a hat...


Poor Claire has some serious jaundice and has been hooked up to a phototherapy machine. We have her camping out in the living room where she can get fed, changed, and sleep while staying on the machine. She looks like a sad little glo-worm! We're hoping it will not be too long before she can be free again.

claire

Welcome, Claire Josephine! Born Sept. 21 at 4:30 p.m., 7 lbs., 10 oz., 20.5 in. long.

10 days

Dear Claire,
You are due in 10 days, but you are welcome to come earlier. We are ready for you.

The carseat's in the car.
Your onesies and blankets are washed.
Your nursery is ready (although still partially occupied by one big sister).



The hospital bag is packed.
The swing and baby seat are back out of storage.
One sister knows you are coming and one sister still thinks she's a baby, but let us worry about that. We'll take Katie out of your swing for you.



Just come on out.
Seriously, we are ready.

Love,
Your Family

back to school

Meg's first day of 3-year-old preschool was Tuesday - she loved it! I am not surprised, since she sometimes seems a little bored at home. I'm pretty sure she was most excited about having a new water bottle to take to school.