Clare's 1st Birthday!

The past few weeks I have been very busy preparing for Clare's birthday. We decided to have a BBQ at our apartment with fiends & family. Her birthday fell on Labor Day weekend so it was a great time to get together. The past week the weather has definitely changed to fall. Cool air but it hasn't been to rainy and we were very lucky over the weekend.
Seth's parents came for the evening and helped us to prepare & with lots of help from friends we were all set. Clare enjoyed her BBQ and cupcake very much. After lots of food the girls helped me to put on a small puppet show to Old McDonald & How much is that puppy in the window. I had read it was easier to have a puppet show that was prerecorded and with a lack of time I wasn't able to record the original story line so we went for some songs. The kids ages ranged from 1yr to 3yr so it fit in the age appropriate criteria. Clare seemed to enjoy seeing everyone and the next day was very tired. We have been working on our sleeping routine for about a week now and it is going great. The first 2 or 3 nights were tough but she has been sleeping through the night again and now has a 8pm bedtime. It has given Seth & I some much needed time to catch up on things around home.

Seth's Class Reunion

Last month we spent the weekend at Seth's parents. It was nice to get out of Long Island and also we were able to go to a picnic for Seth's high school reunion (14yr). The weather was off and on but not raining during the picnic & Clare was able to enjoy her first ride on the swings! She was squealing because she was having so much fun! She's walking really well now but sometimes she gets going faster then her little legs can take her. Only a few bruises so far.

Mom's Birthday!

It has been great to have my Uncle Marc, Aunt Jaye, mother & father out to visit. They had a very exciting trip in the city to see the Blue Jays play the Yankees, but before going to the city they spent a few days visiting us in Long Island. For mom's birthday we went to one of our favorite spots, Jordan's Lobster farm. They also hit the best weather we've had all summer!

Boat ride at Lake George

Seth, Clare & I took a drive up to Lake George to visit some friends. Clare loved the boat ride & Lake George was absolutely beautiful!

Family Party

We had a great weekend in visiting Seth's parents. The weather was great on Saturday when Seth's family came up for the party. Clare had so much fun with cousins and playing in the pool!

Tara & Jake's Wedding

I can't believe it's already here. My cousin, Tara, was married in Adna, Washington last weekend. It was held at a beautiful refurbished barn. It was out of a magazine. A perfect day, great setting, Tara looked very happy & so beautiful.
I made the trip out with Clare for the week. She did very well on both flights. If you don't have the chance to fly with a baby by yourself your not missing anything. Clare has done well the last few flights but it is a lot of work & I feel like I need a day to recover after the trip.
Some things that have helped is feeding/or pacifier during take off & landing, making sure I am well nourished before I'm on the plane, and getting up to change her in the BR when there's a chance. I always bring food with me on the plane. I have this fear of not being able to eat when I'm hungry & water is a must for me when I fly & while nursing Clare. Before Clare I ate my meal after takeoff, but it occurred to me before our first flight with just us that it is difficult to hold baby and eat so now I have changed to eating before boarding. I try to stretch out the time for her in the stroller before we get on the plane. I'm going to be holding her for the next 5+ hours so I need some rest for my arms. The part about getting up to change is great to make sure her diapers clean but also so that I can stretch my legs and Clare gets a change of scenery. It works wonders with a change in what's around.
Yes, I am one of those mom's that carries disinfectant wipes/gel. A quick wipe down of the pull out tray in front of the seat and the armrests gives me some peace of mind. I've learned quite a bit about traveling with a baby the past few months and I'm looking forward to our next trip in November for Seth to join us.

4th of July

I have always loved the 4th of July. For me there are many memories of the Puget Sound and fireworks, time with cousins & friends, and of course smores. My brother, John, will always remember my favorite fireworks 1st the Pagoda & 2nd the parashoot. His was the tank. Of course lots of memories of roman candles, festival balls or the rockets or "cannon". Here in NY there are no firework stands which I'm starting to get used to, however, there are always fireworks going off on the 4th and also extraordinary shows.
This year Seth was on call so we had friends over for a cookout & watched a beautiful