Ted' & Angelica's Party

We had a great BBQ/surprise party for Ted & Angelica Hughes last weekend. It was a great way to kick off the weekend. Good weather & a great turnout of friends. Ted & Angelica were very surprised. Ted has a month left of residency and then Seth will be starting his final year of the program. It was sad to think they won't be here next year but we're so excited for them. They'll be moving back to the Chicago area in the next few weeks.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/chronline/obituary.aspx?n=john-j-roberts&pid=127558052

Crawling around!

Clare has become a very curious little girl. Since she has started to crawl she has found where her toys are and the enticing lights of the cable box. With this new found skill she has also become a kitty chaser. So far Elsa has been very good about keeping distance.

Mother's Day

I had a great first Mother's Day. Seth & Clare really spoiled me for the day. Beautiful flowers & a great day together. The weather was beautiful and we took a long walk on the boardwalk at Jone's beach & then went out to Jordan's Lobster for a lobster roll. This has to be one of my favorite places to go out to. Jordan's has a window to order at and then you eat your food at picnic tables on the water. It's a great place to bring Clare in her stroller. I just can't wait for the summer! Clare has started to wave lately. It seems to me hi, bye, pick me up or look over at me. She's so interactive & has a lot of new sounds "gu, da, bah, and sometimes mama". I felt so special to have a few ma-ma-ma's on Mother's day.

Dinner with the Hamilton Family!

During our trip we were able to catch up with Randy & Natalie in Philadelphia. Seth met Randy in Texas and worked with him in Kansas during his military service. The Hamilton's are such a nice family with one more little one on the way (next month!). It was great to see them and the kids are so cute. Randy will be finishing his program in Pediatric Dentistry in just a few weeks & has some exciting plans to begin practicing in Texas!

Philadelphia

Seeing the city was a new adventure for Clare & she seemed to love it. During half of each day we enjoyed walking and one of the days we took a bus tour of the city. The tour we took was a double decker trolley bus tour with tour guide. It was a beautiful sunny day with a great breeze. Perfect to see the sites. We didn't make the whole tour this time because we met Seth for lunch but it was great to get out & about. Here's some pictures of the sites. Philadelphia has so much history. Some of the pictures include City Hall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art where the famous scene from "Rocky" was filmed (running up the steps), the marketplace at Reading Terminal, and Macy's. I think it is the most beautiful Macy's I've seen. There is a huge pipe organ and the floor plan is open, a great place to shop!

Playing around!

Here's some pictures of Clare playing around in the hotel room. She loved exploring a new environment & has started to become very mobile. She is sitting up on her own now and has just began to crawl.

Trip to Philadelphia

Last weekend we took a drive to Philly for the weekend. Seth had a conference & it was a great time for a visit to a new city & Clare's first time staying in a hotel. It was really fun planning our trip with a baby. I love to be innovative & prepared. It's all about doing something new, having it work out & thinking about what to do to make it better for next time. My Pediatrician puts it in perspective "Having kids is about enhancing your life". Right on! I love to travel and see new places & we want to continue this with Clare.
There are so many different things that just fall into place. I decided to write a little list of some of the things I was glad to have for next time:
1. stroller- walking, feeding, while Seth & I were at the hotel gym together Clare rolled around in the stroller beside us, this was also a blessing for night 1 & 2 for Clare to sleep in at night!
2. car seat- Clare's 3rd night bed! We went out to dinner with the Hamilton's & she was sleeping when we got back to the hotel- I have learned not to wake a sleeping baby, she'll let me know if she's uncomfortable & I'll just give her a bath in the am instead of at night!
3. pump
4. essentials for eating (small bowl, baby spoon, fork, sippy cup)
5. baby food (jarred is easiest for traveling for us, I leave my purees in the freezer) & small bag of rice cereal or oatmeal; we had a fridge in the room & also a hot water dispenser thru the coffee pot making it great for her oatmeal or rice cereal
6. bananas (for me are the easiest to travel with, just mash and serve with the oatmeal)
7. clothing essentials including a sun hat/ shades
8. diaper bag
9. diapers approximately 6 per day & a new container of wipes
10. pacifier with securing strap
11. purr-ell- this works great, at a restaurant before Clare teeths anything & everything around her I use it on a napkin and wipe the table or highchair
12. Pack in Play- safe for play, napping, etc; The hotel we were at had cribs available but since we were driving we had room.
13. Some toys, Clare loves her blocks and soft rattles- the soft things are easiest to pack
14. Front Pack- good for tours or areas where strollers are to large to maneuver
15. Bath stuff- I find the combined shampoo/soap is the easiest because it's only one bottle & wash cloth. I just used the hotel towels.
Here's some pictures of a messy Miss Clare enjoying dinner.
Here's some fun pictures of Clare during our stay.