Playing at the Park

Fall has come & we've been enjoying the few sunny days, crisp fall air, and beautiful leaves. Clare has been a little mover, loving our walks and picking up leaves on the ground. Also, we've been taking our swimming lessons for about a month & a half now. Clare loves the water and it's refreshing once a week. I haven't been thrilled with the baby sitting services at the gym we belong to so I haven't decided if Clare will be going there. I enjoy that 45 minute work out when I can get it though.
In just about a week Seth & I will be celebrating our 5th Anniversary! Where has the time gone?! He will be in Columbia on a trip to help children with cleft lip & palate with the organization, Healing the Children. This will be so exciting for him. We've been looking forward to it for a few years now & it's almost here. A few years ago I was able to go with my friends, Chrisy & Kelsey, to Chile to help with a wellness clinic through Advocates for Inclusion. It was an amazing experience. Seth & I both feel pationate about helping others & travel so I am so excited for him. Just wish we could go with!
Last week Min, Ryan, Clare & I met up for a great day in the park. Long Island has a lot of great parks and the kids loved it. The weather was "perfect fall".

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

Welcome Baby Aislynn!

This past weekend Seth, Clare & I were able to travel upstate to Seth's sister's home to see their new arrival. She's a perfect baby girl! I love the newborn stage & can't believe only 10 months ago Clare was there. It's amazing how they change.

Playin' Around

Clare is such a curious little girl. She is becoming a very skilled crawler and also is on a mission when strolling her push toy across the living room!

Seth's first Father's Day!

Seth is such a wonderful father & husband. It's really amazing how much he does. He's been having some very long & stressed work days the past month & is transitioning to being the chief resident of his program. It's a lot to take on & he's excited. One more year at his program & he'll be done. I've loved our life together during his residency & even though I am so excited to have a home with a dishwasher, I will miss our apartment & NUMC community. Anyways, June & July are difficult months for his program & for the level of trauma is quite a bit higher in the summer. He's still been working on a contract with a practice in Albany & hopefully things will be a bit more concrete in the next few months!
I feel so fortunate to have a husband that is so handsome, intelligent, hard working, & directed. It was a little rainy on Father's day this year but we enjoyed it together. We tried to go play tennis across the street but we were met with a downpour on the walk there! We had lots of cake to enjoy though! Hopefully the weather is turning around now.