The Walkers: 6 Weeks Old!

Well we've survived the first 6 weeks! Claire is just such a treasure and a sweet addition to our family. At times it's been a bit of a blur but I've tried to just soak it all in. Having a baby is always an adjustment but it's worth all the challenging parts that come with it. The first couple of weeks after I have a baby I'm always super emotional as my hormones are going back to normal. I cry over every little thing, happy or sad. Bless my sweet mother, she came over almost every night after Keith went back to work for the first 2-3 weeks, and still comes every few nights to help me. As I'm feeling better and getting the hang of things I don't need as much help, but three is definitely a doozy at times!

Hello there sunshine!

Look at all that hair!

A cute little sign my mom made, it was hung up on the railing when we got home from the hospital :)

SO grateful for all my mom's help!! I couldn't have done it without her.

Claire had jaundice early on so we had to take her back to the doctor every day for about the first 5-6 days to get her bilirubin checked. It was sad seeing her get poked over and over :( We were pretty close to needing lights but it finally started to go down. Phew!

I had to do a comparison pic of my two girls! They look SO much alike!

First bath at home!

She didn't like it too much, lol

There's nothing like a freshly bathed baby! I just love cuddling with her and smelling her cute little head.

The kids absolutely love her! Maybe even a little too much, jk lol. I'm constantly having to remind them to be soft or leave her alone when she's sleeping. They have both been a big help. Isaac has had the hardest adjustment I think, he's been extra frustrated and aggressive lately. Thankfully he hasn't taken it out on the baby, but he has been pretty difficult at times. I think he's just adjusting to not being the baby anymore and has some pent up anger he doesn't know how to deal with. It's gotten a little better with time and I know once he starts school again that it will help (he does a lot better with structure).

Big sister loves to hold little sister!

Such a great big brother!

So far she loves her swing!

Here's a few tidbits that we're learning about Claire:

(Look at this little face! Could you just die??)

*I've started calling her "squirmy wormy" because she is a pretty squirmy baby! I think it's how she copes with tummy bubbles and gas.

*She does this little thing where her leg shakes, I've read that it's normal for newborns but it sure is funny! She reminds of Thumper from Bambi when she does it. Her chin also shakes every so often.

*She loves to be held and cuddled! The nurses at the hospital called her a cuddle bug. It's actually kind of hard to get anything done during the day lol. I'm trying to remember that this phase is so short and goes by fast and just cuddle her as often as I can. She is making it longer and longer at night and made it almost 8 hours between feedings last night!

*She HATES her car seat and the car! Every time we are driving, even if she just ate, she cries pretty much the whole time unless she is asleep.

*She has pretty sensitive skin....she broke out in baby acne and it has sort of turned in to eczema. It probably doesn't help that it's summer time so she gets more sweaty.

*She is breastfeeding and it's going great! She's been the best at gaining weight of all my kids. She just takes one formula feeding a night from Daddy so that Mommy can sleep a little longer and not go insane lol. She takes both breast and bottle really well.

*Claire's fussy times are kind of random, and some days are better than others, although she does seem to get fussier in the evening (which is pretty typical).

*She's finally starting to fit in 0-3 month clothes. For about the first month all she could fit in was Newborn diapers and clothes.

You forget how bad the sleep deprivation is with a newborn! She is such a little snuggle bug, she loves to be held!

We had lots of fun visitors after we brought her home!

I'm SO glad my bestie Jill was in town when I had Claire!

Keith's mom and dad meeting Claire for the first time

First family of 5 picture! We took this for a special book that Keith's aunt was putting together for his Grandpa's 85th birthday (Isaac's face cracks me up)

Keith's Grandma & Grandpa Asay meeting Claire for the first time

I just love this sweet little face!

In other news.....Claire started smiling this week! It takes some work to get one out of her but isn't she the cutest??

Gotta start 'em young!

First time at church

I love my people!

We've had a pretty quiet summer since I had the baby but we have tried to get out and do some fun things, like go up to the new reservoir up Hobble Creek canyon and go to the splash pad/pool. The 4th of July was a lot of fun too and I got to see my BFF Jill who came out to visit from Maryland for about a month. Summer seems to be flying by so fast!

I made all the Dad's aprons for Father's Day with the kids hand prints and the baby's foot prints :)