Seven Months!

Clara has changed so much this month! She is so curious and inquisitive now and has to look towards any sound she hears or movement she sees out of the corner of her eye. This makes breast feeding a little more challenging as she gets distracted easily. Clarita continues to be super easy going and happy. We have taken her on numerous road trips and she handles the long drives pretty well. We said that we wanted a baby we could take anywhere and we got her!

Clara is not crawling yet but she scoots all over. I think that her giant cloth diapers (I’ve been putting two inserts in since she has turned into a pee monster so they are especially large) hinder her a little since she really moves when I put her on the floor naked. She is the wiggliest baby ever and never stops moving unless she’s asleep. My uncle asked me if she is ever quiet and still and I realized that she is only when she’s sleeping. I think that means we’re in for trouble when she starts crawling…

Although she can’t actually talk, Clarita sure has a lot to say! She babbles, squeals, and screeches nonstop! Clarita really loves animals and gets very excited when she sees one, especially if it is a dog or cat that someone is playing with. Kevin will get our cats to jump in the air and Clara squeals with delight. She also grabs a hold of the cats any chance she gets. More than once she has pulled Baza to the ground. He is pretty tolerant of her (he keeps coming back for more), but Spikey keeps her distance. Our cats have a tube that they run through and play in. Clara stuck her finger in it last week and immediately started crying. She was bleeding and we assume Baza just saw something pop in and thought it was a toy and scratched her. Clara got over it quickly and Baza felt bad.

Eating is now one of Clara’s favorite activities! So far she has loved everything we have fed her. She makes the funniest face when we give her plain Greek yogurt but keeps opening her mouth for more. She has been eating solid food twice per day, but we’re increasing it to three times per day since she likes it so much. Thus far she has not had any negative reactions to anything she has eaten so we’re hoping that means that she will be allergy free. She is also not picky about the consistency of her food so I have just been baking sweet potatoes and cutting them into pieces instead of pureeing them. She’s a good little eater!

Clarita is definitely developing a little personality and is proving to be stubborn and strong willed (wonder where she gets that from). She has definite likes and dislikes and makes these known. Clara gets very angry when something is taken away from her (such as my hair or necklace) and screams. When she’s tired everything makes her upset, especially getting dressed/undressed and having her diaper changed. Some babies have little whiny cries to warn you before full out screaming; Clara does not. She goes from fine to screaming in five seconds.

Four generations of Johnsons!

Clara is definitely getting even more fun as she can actually play now. She has developed object constancy and will try to find things if they go out of her sight. This does not bode well when we take something away from her as she knows it’s still out there and gets angry as she searches for it. She has also developed very good fine motor skills and can pick up the tiniest piece of fuzz off the rug (she finds EVERY piece of fuzz and scoots over to examine it) or any hair that escapes my pony tail. This means that my hair gets ripped out a lot which is not fun for me, but quite amusing for Clarita. She also loves the Jumperoo that she borrowed from Reedcito (he is so good at letting her use all of his old toys!). She will jump for long periods of time and now jumps up and down when we hold her on our laps!

Overall, Clarita continues to be such a joy and brings a smile to everyone that she meets including strangers in the grocery store!

 Clarita's Stats

Weight: 15 pounds  

Height:  25.75 inches (it's really hard to measure her)

Head Circumference: 43 centimeters

What Clara Wears

She still wears some 3 month onesies but everything else is 3-6 or 6 months

Things Clara Loves

Mama and Dada, nursing and bottles, going for walks, naked baby time, her "soothie" pacifiers (especially her monito and Bevo), snuggling, baths, baby exercises, car rides, the Baby Bjorn, reading books, being a baby airplane, drooling, the exersaucer, swimming, people, taking showers with Mommy in the Bumbo, playing with her toys, her teethers, rolling all over the floor, animals (especially her cats), eating solid food, playing peek a boo with Dada, anything with a rough/bumpy texture, cardboard, paper, the jumperoo

Things Clara Does Not Love

Waiting, going to sleep when she’s overly tired, diaper changes, being told "no", getting dressed

How Clarita Sleeps

Clarita continues to sleep off and on throughout the day as she sees fit usually with at least one long nap in the morning or afternoon (sometimes both). She uses a sleep sack at night and generally rolls over to her side, hugs her pacifier or pinguino, and falls right to sleep. She usually wakes up on her stomach super happy and plays for awhile until we get her out. She still sleeps in her Pack N Play next to our bed. Clara generally goes to bed between 9:15 and 10:00 and wakes up around 6:30. The past couple of weeks have been a little rough in the sleep department as Clara has been waking up a couple times on more nights than not. After getting used to not waking up during the night for the past five months this had been rough for Kevin and I. I know that we have been super lucky having such a good sleeper and we totally took it for granted. Clara has been a little better this past week only waking up a few days or only once during the night but we would really like our good sleeper back. 

Nicknames

Baby Butter, Clarita, Snugglepuff, Snuggles, Wiggles, Baby/Bebe, Bambina, Sapita, Munchkin, Drool Monster, Birthday Twin

Foods Clara Loves

Avocado, sweet potato, carrots, lentils, green beans, bananas, plain Greek yogurt, beets 

Monthly Exciting Events

October 19, 2013: The tongue clicking begins

October 18, 2013: Clara's first time out of California (hello Arizona!)

October 17, 2013: Clara's first time spending the night in a hotel

October 11, 2013: First Reedley Fiesta/Tio Chino babysitting solo 

October 10, 2013: First Big Fresno Fair

October 5, 2013: First time in the ocean (she loved it!)

October 4, 2013: First time being babysat by a paid stranger

September 30, 2013: First time in a high chair

September 28, 2013: First time in a wedding (cutest flower Wiggle ever!)

September 22, 2013: First time in her stroller without the car seat

Monthly Pictures

Thanks for the awesome chalkboard Tia Laurie!

It's getting really difficult to keep her in one place for pictures

Fair, Fiesta (x2), and New Friends!

Last week was busybusy of course (I keep thinking that our lives will slow down at some point but it hasn't happened thus far). The Big Fresno Fair was in town so we had to take Clarita. I love the fair (especially the cinnamon rolls) and Kevin and I go every year (when we live in California) and we couldn't wait to take Clara. She loved it of course. It was filled with all of her favorite things: people, lights, and animals! We took her to see the animals first and she thought that they were all pretty cool. Clarita had never seen sheep, cows, or pigs before but loved them just as much as she loves cats and dogs. Then we went to the photography exhibit and Clara squealed away. Apparently she likes photography just like her dada. Clara made a million new friends as usual and really wanted to eat some cinnamon roll (we told her she had to wait until next year). She stayed awake the entire time we were there and was super happy. I think her first fair was a success!

Look, a pink sheep!

Clara wants Fafa to grow her a giant pumpkin next year!

Dada's favorite exhibit, rocks and minerals

Saturday was the Reedley Fiesta. This is Reedley's big celebration which includes a parade, lots of booths, and a run. Kevin, Laurie, and I ran in the race so Tio Chino volunteered to watch the little Wiggle while we ran. He did a great job and Clara had fun watching us run. She ran the race with me last year when I was four months pregnant and can't wait until she is old enough to run in the kid's races. Clara also got to see her friend Parker and hold hands with him (I think she likes him a lot). My good friend Sarah Jimenez was in town with her two kids so we met up with them to watch the parade. Clara had never met Jack and Lucy and thought they were cool. She liked the parade, but was more interested in the people walking by. We had to head out early from the Fiesta because we had a wedding, but Clara didn't mind because she got to spend the rest of the day with La Abuelita. We did just miss Tristan and Teagan at the Fiesta so she was a little sad about that.

Grape Escape!

Cousin Jessica really loves Clarita!

Tio Chino takes babysitting seriously!

Love blossoming!

Lucy, Sarah, and Clara (Jack's head is in the background)

On Dada's shoulders!

On Sunday we celebrated Ryland's first birthday (Kevin's cousin Charlyse's son). Charlyse put together a great party complete with a magician and a bunny. Clara loved seeing so many of her favorite people in one place, and really loved the bunny. She squealed when she saw him and got even more excited when she got to pet him. Clara also got to meet Eden, Kevin's cousin Mason's brand new baby. She was only three weeks old and super tiny. Eden slept the entire time and was adorable. I can't wait to snuggle her!

Ryland wasn't so sure about the cake...

The Ravens

Alex and Clara

Baby Eden

Sarah and Clara (and baby Heidi in the womb)

Auntie Traci, Auntie Cyn, and Laura

On Tuesday I had to go to Napa for work so Kevin was in charge of the little Wiggle. It was my first time being gone for more than just the night but Clara didn't seem to mind. She hung out with La Abuelita during the day and Dada at night and was perfectly happy. I got back Wednesday and met Kevin and Clarita at our friends' Karl and Lindsay's house to meet their baby, Carver, who was just shy of a month old. He was adorable! Clara wasn't too interested in him but she loved Lindsay and Karl (especially Lindsay's hair)! Carver (aka Bobcat) weighed 9 pounds 9 ounces when he was born and was already up to 11 pounds 13 ounces when we saw him! Pretty soon he'll be bigger than Clara!

Why won't Bobcat play with me?

Clara had such a fun filled week and met so many new friends! She can't wait until they are all bigger and can play together!

So Many New Friends for Clarita!

This past weekend was a busy one! I bought a Groupon for a hot air balloon ride (I love Groupons!) two years ago and tried to use it for our anniversary then, but they were booked. It expired this September so I had booked a flight for a few weeks ago. It ended up being really hot that weekend so we had to reschedule. We rescheduled for October 4 which just happened to be a couple of days before our seventh anniversary so it worked out perfectly!

Kevin, Clarita, and I headed down to San Diego Thursday afternoon. Clara slept for three hours on the ride down, woke up played, we stopped and fed her, she played and then slept some more. It was perfect. When we got to San Diego we met my friend Mikaela for dinner (Shannon was convinced we'd never been to this restaurant before but Kevin new better and Shannon ended up losing a bet to Kevin :)). She just moved back to San Diego from Colorado and had not yet met Clara. Of course they loved each other!

Big girl in a high chair!

Auntie Mikaela!

After dinner we headed down to La Jolla to Phil and Kelly's place. Phil and I went to college together and he was good friends with my friend Jon. When Kevin started grad school in San Diego Phil started law school and they both needed a roommate so they lived together for a year. We got in around 9:30 and Clara was asleep. I woke her up, fed her, put her pjs on, and she went right back to sleep.

Clara had fun with Phil

The balloon ride was Friday at 6:00 AM in Temecula, about an hour northeast of San Diego, so we had to leave around 5:00 AM. I woke Clara up and fed her thinking she would go right back to sleep. Wrong. She was wide awake and ready to play. It was literally my worst nightmare as I did not want her to wake up Phil and Kelly. Luckily after some rocking Clarita went back to sleep and slept until 7:00! Phil and Kelly have two daughters, Maya three and a half, and Lana fourteen months. They have a sitter who comes to watch the girls and were nice enough to let Clara stay with her too. Luckily the Wiggle was on her best behavior and did not cause any problems. She didn't mind that we weren't there when she woke up or that she was with complete strangers (she had met Phil once but I bet she had already forgotten).

Playing with Maya is soooo fun!

Our balloon ride was great. We had to go to a different location since the Santa Ana Winds were crazy, but it was still very nice. We headed back to SD right after the balloon ride to collect Clara and went to the beach and our favorite taco shop, Ramiro's. Clara enjoyed strolling down the boardwalk in Pacific Beach and looking at all the people.

On the pier

On Saturday we headed to the beach with the Askims and met Mikaela and her fiance Zack there. Getting three tiny kids ready for the beach was no small feat nor was packing all the stuff they needed into the minivan! We finally made it and Clarita loved the sand and the water! She went in the ocean up to her diaper and thought that the water was pretty neat. She also really loved sitting in the wet sand and playing with it. She of course put a handful straight into her mouth and didn't seem to mind the taste. Clara even took a nap at the beach. Kevin and Phil snorkeled with the leopard sharks while the rest of us hung out on the beach.

Clara really seemed to enjoy hanging out with Maya and Lana. She would watch them attentively and smile and talk to them. She even tried pulling herself up into standing position on their toy box. I think she wanted to be like the big girls! They were super cute and sweet to Clara offering to share their toys and play with her.

Lana, Clara, and Maya

Taking a picture of three tiny kiddos was tough!

On Sunday we headed out early to visit my college roommate Nicolette, her husband Jeremy, and their 16 month old daughter Bennett. We hadn't met Bennett yet and they hadn't met Clara so it was a fun morning. Clara immediately grabbed onto Bennett's hair, but Bennett didn't seem to mind. Nicolette made us a great breakfast and Clara had fun playing with Bennett's toys, and getting licked by the dog (I think that may have been her favorite part)! I can't wait until the girls can play together again!

College roommates turned mommies!

After breakfast we headed to Newport Beach to visit Beth and Ken, and meet little Hadley who was born September 14. Hadley was teeny and precious. I honestly can't remember Clara being that little or fragile. I had almost forgotten how to hold a newborn! Clara was indifferent about Hadley but loved hanging out with Beth and Ken. We went to lunch and they played with her while I ate (Hadley slept the entire time like a perfect angel). Clara had never really met a baby smaller than her and she seemed so huge compared to Hadley. I'm sure the next time we see them Clara and Hadley will be much more interested in each other! It was perfect because Nicolette, Beth, and I all lived together and now all have little girls. I can't wait for the fun the girls will have together in the future!

A glimpse into their future

Future roommates like their mommies?

After lunch we headed home and Clara fell asleep right away. We stopped to eat dinner in Bakersfield and Clara thought that the high chair at In N Out was pretty fun to lounge in. Clara was not so happy when we loaded up again. She screamed bloody murder and I finally had to sit in the back with her (which I haven't done since the day we brought her home from the hospital). She eventually fell asleep but there was a lot of crying involved. I think that she had a great weekend but the poor little Wiggle was exhausted from all of her adventures and new friends and ready to be home.

The only bad part of the weekend was that Clara started waking up numerous times during the night and not being consoled until I picked her up and rocked her. I was hoping that it just had something to do with being in a different place, but she has continued to wake up two or three times a night since we got home (which she never even did as a newborn). Now I'm hoping that she's teething and that her teeth come in quickly and she resumes her normal nighttime sleep pattern. Kevin and I now fully understand how lucky we have been that Clara started sleeping through the night so early on. I also realized that what I have always said is true...I cannot function properly if I don't get a good night's sleep and I want to kill Clara by the third time she wakes me up (luckily she's cute so I get over it). All in all it was a great weekend filled with tons of new friends for Clara (all girls too)!