Clara eats Oatmeal with a Spoon

Clara got several spoons for her birthday, so the day after her birthday, I decided to let her use it on my favorite breakfast: soaked oatmeal loaded with raisins, cranberries, raw milk, coconut oil, and cinnamon.

She did so well. I was proud of her for trying so hard. She knew what it was for and tried to make it work.

She would start to go for the oatmeal with her fingers, then stop herself and pick up her spoon. She tried one end of the spoon and then the other.

In the end, she decided that the easiest way was to hand the spoon to Mama. : ) I was so proud of her.

Titus is enjoying the process of Clara learning to eat on her own too. : )

Andrea bakes a Cake

This is my first true decorated cake (I bake pies for James every year for his birthday). Though I made a cake that looked like a stack of pancakes for Mom’s birthday once and a cake that looked like a Snicker’s bar for Melody’s birthday in Russia, this is the first time I wanted my icing to be smooth, my edges to be crisp and neatly bordered, and so on. It was a knee quaking attempt for me. But this is my first child and my first child’s birthday, I can’t imagine a better place to start! Thanks, James for not letting me wiggle out of this one. I would have regretted not doing this for my baby girl’s first birthday!

Titus’ favorite hangout in the kitchen--between Mama’s feet.

On Thursday, I made the butterflies and roses at my mother’s house. My mother also gave me a quick tutorial on the whole decorating process.

These butterflies were made with Colorflow icing (you can get the mix from Wilton’s) on wax paper over a coloring book printout we got off of the internet.

On Friday, I baked the cakes, layered them with raspberry jam between the layers (yum) and iced them as well as I could. I set them outside to harden before icing, but it was snowing and I had to dust off a few flakes before I could get started. Oops.

On Saturday, I decorated. The edging was a little challenging, and it really is a bunch of connected globs, but at least they are semi-consistent globs! The lettering was difficult too, but I followed a friend’s advice and wrote into the cake ahead of time with a toothpick. It doesn’t exactly flow gracefully, but at least it is neat!

Once the lettering and edging was done, the rest was a piece of cake (ha-ha)! Piping green vines and leaves was a lot of fun, and I got to add a little rosebud here and there. It was fun placing my roses and butterflies all over the place too.

I used extra cake batter and icing to make the little cake. I really am loving the rose and butterfly, pink-and-purple combination. It’s taking me back to my little girlhood!

The “Grandma” and the “5” were a surprise for my mother, who shares Clara’s special day.

So, is that enough pictures of my cake? I have more! Do I seem just a teensy bit happy with it? : ) Just wait. I already have plans for next year!

I think she liked it!

Clara gets a Balloon

So, with less than a week until Clara’s birthday, party planning is in full swing. Last Friday, I dragged James out with me to shop for party supplies (it’s a good man who will spend his Friday night giving his opinion on pink paper plates). When we checked out at Party Craft, they offered Clara a balloon. Usually I say no, but I was feeling festive so we took a yellow helium-filled balloon home with us. Clara loved having its companionship in the back seat, and we could hear her bopping it all the way home.

Here it is the next day, while we were making pizza:

There’s my whole family—even the balloon!

So cute even when she’s messy!

Five days later, the balloon STILL doing great! I’m impressed. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a latex balloon do so well!

I think it’s cute that she even knows how to crawl while holding it.

I thought that she was having a hard time holding the string the other day, but then I realized that she’s playing an opposite version of “let go-drop it-you pick it up” and had invented “let go-float it-you pull it down”. She’s one smart cookie.

When she’s on our bed, she can reach it herself.

Titus likes to pose in pictures I take of Clara. Poor dog. He’s not the baby anymore!

So, I think what this means is we will have balloons at Clara’s party. I just love watching Clara explore her world and learn the physics of things. Of course, we will use the utmost precaution with the strings and any popped pieces, but what cheap, innocent fun for an almost-one-year-old!

Our Sweetheart at 4 Months!

"What? Is that a typo?" You ask. No, simply a very behind Mama. Clara's 5 months now (as of 7-8-09), but since I didn't post for her 4 month birthday, I couldn't get ahead of myself, could I? Our main computer (with photos attatched) fizzled and had to be reset, so I haven't had a lot of opportunity to post the many wonderful pictures I took of Clara last month (and that's the important part of an update, right?) So here I go, belated again. I still owe you to finish the May Medley (again a picture issue), and I will soon post 5 month pictures of our little princess (I promise).

June was a busy month for us. Clara went to the doctor at her 4 month check up and weighed in at 17 lbs 6 oz and was measured at 25 inches long. She had a little cold, but got through. Yay! Also, at 3.5 months, she lost all of her hair on top! I was so sad and covered her head with lots of bonnets and things thinking that she may be bald until age two, like I was, but we were all happy when her hair started to come in again, and now she has about as much as there was before. Also, it seems to be more permanent, since the carseat and beds don't seem to rub it off anymore. Yay! Now I'll just pray that it gets curly. Okay, I'll love straight hair on her too. Her eyes are still pretty two tone, with a dark grey on the outside and a brown star in the middle. In different light, the grey can almost look blue or sometimes or like her eyes are all brown. It'll be interesting to see if they stay that way. They are very pretty.

~ ~ ~

I let Clara look at the mobile while I was making my bed and such. Clara is still in her bassinet. She's really too big for it, but she spends about half of her nights in our bed, the crib was (until recently) in storage at my parents, and we have been struggling to find a safe mattress solution. So, hopefully very soon we will be sidecarring the crib!

This is Clara right around 4 months old. She has good head control, but hates being on her tummy for long periods of time.

On her 4 month birthday I tried to put her into one of my old outfits. "It doesn't fit, Mama!" she seems to say here. Oh well!

New outfit time. She's cute without it too, though, huh?

So then I put her in these overalls and measured her from head to toe. No wonder I came up with 26 inches. Look at that stretch!

Daddy was sick and stayed home with us on Clara's 4 month birthday (I wonder where she got her cold from), and so he took this one, among others. Look how well she stands!

What a cutie! I love that smile. This month she started to laugh when I laughed. She had to get in on the joke!

Maybe I took a few too many pictures? No, she's too innocent for that. Isn't she cute!

Clara and Titus got to know each other better this month.

And bond as siblings in their mutual wonderment at their weird parents . . .

So much love and family cuddles!

Clara got to help Mama and Daddy plant flowers in the yard and only got a couple of tiny bites from mosquitoes. :(

Clara helped with laundry (thank you, God for my washing machine) which there seems to always be plenty of!

Clara got to spend time with Uncle Brady . . .

"Cousin" Chris . . .

and Miss Leslie (who taught her how to play cards) among many, many others.

But she got in some good Mama time too (Daddy pictures in another post).

And had a record number of blowout diapers. Goodness, Child! Let's hope cloth diapers help!

Big news . . . She can roll over! She started going from front to back first! Smart girl.

She knows someone in Westerville, Ohio loves her (as we all prayed for Grandma who suffered a stroke this month).

And she's an all around sweet girl.

We are so blessed!