Thanksgiving

I feel so thankful for our friends and family. It has been an interesting year. The joys of having Clare and expanding our family along with the challenges we've faced with loss and injury of family over the past year make me think just how precious life is. We didn't get too many pictures during the Thanksgiving celebration but it was a great 1st Thanksgiving for Clare. Seth was on-call during the holiday weekend but we had a very nice time. We had our friends Brad & Mary Catherine and Josh & Nikki over for dinner. I spent most of the day in the small kitchen of our apartment cooking. I love cooking and someday hope to have a kitchen that functions a little better. Our cat, Elsa, matched the weight of our turkey (15+). Looking at her she's added a few on, even with one leg missing she is very "puffy". Clare is getting close and we'll find out this week at her 3 month Dr visit (her last visit she was 12lb 9oz.

Clare smiling!

Seth & I have been busy over the past 2 weeks and I have been getting behind on posting our pictures. This is Clare loving her new shirt from Popi. It was a gift from his trip to the Melbourne Cup in Australia.
Clare is smiling a ton and more interactive everyday. She's found her fingers and often prefers them to her pacifier. Braces here we come!

A visit to Nana & Popi's house!

These are some pictures of our visit with Seth's parents. It was our first trip with Clare. She loved traveling and spending time with family.

Congress Park

Last weekend we took a trip to Nana & Popi's house in Ballston Spa. Seth took Friday off and we had a nice drive upstate. The weather was cold & sunny. A beautiful fall day with blue skies. Clare did very well on her first excursion. She seemed to love the car ride and only cried if her shade needed to be adjusted if the sun was bothering her.
When we got in on Friday we were able to visit Seth's mom, Nana Kaaren, at work. Clare was bundled up in her pink suit and enjoyed a walk to Congress Park for a few family pictures and a visit with the ducks before we went to Seth's parent's house.

Visit with Auntie Danielle & Nicholas.

This morning Clare & I went out to East Islip to visit Auntie Danielle & her son Nicholas. I have been working with Danielle at the Medical Center and Nicholas will be 1 year old later this week. It's amazing how much he has grown. He's almost walking already and he is so adorable. It was Clare's first time to visit a friend at home and I think she was very interested in a change from our apartment. It was really great to visit with Danielle. She has been such a big support for me with my new beginnings of motherhood.

A Walk in the Park.

The weather has been sunny but very crisp. It's definitely changing to winter and we have been trying to enjoy these great days of sunshine by bundling up and getting out for a walk. There's a very large park near where we live and we were so happy to go for a walk with our neighbors Gabriel & Alajandra. It has been fun to get to know Alajandra and her little boy is adorable.

Rub a Dub-Dub, Clare loves her tub!

Clare has been enjoying her baths more each time!