I am Thankful

for these two...

Mini me??)

This adorable face woke us up many nights throughout month 8. Although, who wouldn't want to wake up and see this?(even if at 2am)

Also started saying "mama", "dada" and "baba" this month, she is growing up so fast!

Charlotte Friends and our first annual Chili party

Lovingly named "The Wednesday night Chili", mine didn't get any votes:(


The below speaks for itself. Who's counting down until June?

Fall Happenings

Lots going on this fall so far, time really does fly!
Claire started crawling-ish...she loves the remote and our cell phones


Our girl is about 19lbs and 28 inches long, so tall! She is also so goofy, lots of funny faces and babbling A LOT(where does she get that?). She started saying "Da da" and "Ba Ba". We love her so much, each day is more fun then the next!


First Halloween, she was a sweet pea and pumpkin. We passed out candy to all the kids. I can't wait until I hear her say "Trick or Treat" :)




Play dates with friends, Carson and Lila...soon to be BFF's



Fun visit with Kelly and Brandon, dear friends from Ohio.

Brandon was so sweet with Claire--Kelly found a keeper!



Our 3rd wedding anniversary, many fun memories over the last 3 years. 1 new house and 1 new baby. Our wedding was so much fun, the best day of my life!

Road Trip!

Ready to go!
Laura and Claire
Claire in Kevin's high chair from when he was a baby
Uncle Matt
Hanging with my cousins Jack and Colin
Great Great-Gram Party!
Great G'ma Pohlman
I LOVE this pic!
Grandma and Grandpa Barga
Claire took her first trip to Ohio last week. It was so much better than we thought..9 hours in the car can get hairy with a 7 month old, but she was a trooper! I am absolutely amazed how well she did sleeping in 2 different beds, skipping naps, and being off schedule in general(I am pretty strict with the schedule). I am learning she simply loves being around people and activity, so much so that she doesn't want to miss a thing by having to eat or sleep...who needs that?! She got to see all her cousins and grandmas and grandpas, even her two Great G'mas on Kevin's side. It was so special to see them hold her.
One thing we know about her at 7 months, she is Miss Personality, she loves to squeak and laugh and smiles at everything. It is so much fun to watch her charm everyone :)

Comedy

People have said, "I don't know what I did before kids" WELL...I remember very clearly and it didn't involve a full day conversation about poop. How much, what did it look like, how did THAT come out of her, and so on. Claire started formula this week and you know what that means, poor girl. Although, she seems to like it, she has been a bit stopped up. Sunday she unleashed the fury (all day) and now, today(Monday) she is happy as a clam.

In between diaper changes, a very funny/adorable moment occurred.
Claire sitting on daddy's lap, looks at me and starts laughing--a low tone giggle

Me: laughing at her in the same low tone
Her: laughing at me laughing at her
(and so on...)
Her: more laughing at me laughing, then oops...hiccups at the end of the laugh. (exp: hee heee..heee...huuuck)
Me: mimic the laugh/hiccup scenario
Her: heavier laughing/hiccup continues
So...this went on back and fourth for a good while and it was freaking adorable. And since I didn't want to interrupt the precious moment to grab a camera, the blog memory will have to do.

Here are some photos I was able to snap in her 5th month of life. (also, thinking this 5-7 month stage just may be my favorite!)

Daddy put together my excersaucer--who knew it would take so many batteries?!

I got in my jumper..not quite ready for it, but soon!

I also started eating cereal-YUM :)

Summer is flying and we're not crying...

Summer is already flying by and I have to admit, Facebook has consumed my time over the 'ole blog. I will try to cram the lst few months in a quick update. This summer has been one like no other. Talk about a change in the Pohlman house, new parent syndrome? To say the least! Although, we have the normal paranoid new parent stuff, we also encountered a lot more with Claires' health issues. I definitely have a new perspective on life and the meaning of family. We are so lucky she is doing well, we are eating up every moment with her. Having her has made our lives so full of joy and we continue to be amazed by her strength and spirit. Her health is good, although she still has 3 holes the Doctors want to monitor. They have not gotten smaller as all the other did(and eventually went away). The cardiologist seems to think she will live with them and still grow and be healthy and happy, a relief but we continue to hope they do go away. Our next visit with the cardiologist is in January.

And happy she is, she wakes up every day smiling and giddy, wishing I had that spirited morning attitude! She'll be 5 months old on Aug 4, weighing in at about 15lbs and 26 inches long. She is starting to roll, twist and turn, finding her feet, laughing and smiling all the time. She is definitely,a "know what I want" kind of gal. I already see what a determined girl she is. I cannot get over how much I love watching her expressions and seeing something different in her every day, it really is a miracle. I never knew how exciting it would be to just stare at my baby :)

We have been enjoying the great indoors lately, just doing family time, sans cable. It has been surprisingly liberating! Kevin is back on the school front, doing an on-line program, just a few classes, may eventually get another masters but isn't for sure. He is also working on some projects to 'ensure the future of our family' :)I support his efforts and glad he is keeping busy, as that is his "Happy Place".

I made it back to work but thankfully work from home a bit so get to see my girl often. We hired someone to come to our house and it has been a great blessing and relief on a new mommy's mind. I consider myself to have the best of both worlds and Kevin has a happy wife which equals a 'Happy Life'(right?!) ha...

My new obsession-TWILIGHT...I am just in love with some Vampire fiction, it's addictive and my little mommy escape. I just recently finished the series and feel as if someone broke up with me. I am desperate to find a new reading obsession, hopefully one that will keep me occupied, perhaps another series? I am open to suggestions! I am greatful to my other addict friends, thankfully I have many friends to discuss all that is VAMPIRE (Team Edward, of course!)

We had many family visitors this summer, it was great to have everyone come to us. We really miss our families and of course all the love they give Claire is pretty great too. We'll be heading up North to Ohio for Christmas, excited to show Claire her first snow.

Overall, the theme around here is keep cherishing each day, we know now more than ever how precious these days are. There are a few new motto's I have adopted in my every day thoughts, "Quality over Quantity" and "If you have your Health, you have everything"
Bring on the Autumn and all that is cool, breezy and colorful!




Aunt Kelly




Claire and her Papa


Sitting in my bumbo seat

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great Memorial Day weekend with the Barga's. Brig, Matt and the boys were here all weekend. Mom came in for the week to get her Claire fix. Other than the grey skies...the weekend was great! Jack and Colin loved their cousin Claire, they read her books and fed her bottles, so cute! We also got pictures taken, Amber did a great job, we cannot wait to see them! Claire is changing so fast, want to capture all the moments. She is 12 weeks on Wed, time is flying!

Mom Shout Out

Happy 60th Mom! We miss you here, we can't wait to see you soon. Claire really misses you spoiling her and all the morning play time.
In honor of Mothers day and your Birthday, a poem, I thought you would enjoy(and remember)

"Mothers"
Mothers are always there
They are there for giving you money
Providing you with food and clothes
But most of all, they are there for giving love
-Sarah M. Barga
3rd grade

Love you!

Thanks Easter Bunny...

Claire got a new dress(Thank you Melissa!)and Easter candy, Kevin and I helped her enjoy it. It was a great weekend!

Just another Tuesday...

So, I am pretty sure this blog is going to turn into "Claire's Blog". With that said...
Don't you get all dressed up to go to Walgreens? I get a little too excited when getting to leave the house, AND I want to make sure she wears all her cute outfits before she outgrows them. Thank you Amy C. for the beautiful outfit and matching hat!

Yoga Toes

Look at these toes, always has them all spread apart. Her fingers are also so long, we are thinking piano player :) She is so entertaining, I can't get over how much she changes everyday. These days are such a joy!

Claire Alyse Has Arrived!

Claire Alyse Pohlman arrived March 4th at 3:36 pm, weighing in at 8lbs 3 oz and 20.5 inches long. She is gorgeous and a true love--and might I add, looks nothing like me but all Kevin. She shot into the world after only 4 or so pushes. It was a great labor and delivery. Seriously, it was really not bad at all and I feel very fortunate for the entire experience.
We have had a lot going on lately with our new arrival, as most of you know we found out she has a heart defect called, Muscular Ventricular Septum Defect(VSD). This is a fairly common heart defect, however, our Claire has multiple holes in her heart and one rather large hole, about 5 mm's. This will possibly require open heart surgery in the coming months. I can easily say, it was the most shocking, worst day of our lives. We took some time to wrap our minds around this but understand now this is fixable and possibly will heal maybe without the surgery. Right now the goal is weight gain, weight gain, weight gain! She at 3 weeks was back up to her birth weight of 8lbs 4 oz, so we were elated! With this condition comes being very tired and having difficulty eating, takes a while to eat only 2-3 ounces, also labored breathing due to the blood flowing into her lungs from these holes. We are working very hard to make sure she is getting all she can as far as eating and sleeping. She is also on 2 medications to help her breathing and blood pressure. She is getting better each day at this point so we just keep plugging along hoping she will not need the surgery. The cardiologist and pediatrician have been very helpful, we are very blessed to have these 2 men in our lives. If anyone needs a good pediatrician in the Steele Creek area, I would highly recommend Dr. Steven Bernal(new building behind Harris Teeter). He found this defect(not Presby) and sent us strait to Dr. Greene, our cardiologist. These offices are taking great care of us and have all fallen in love with Claire :)
Kevin and I are trying to stay strong and positive for Claire, we are pretty much at a "wait and see" point right now, each day, week counts. We just keep hoping and praying for these holes to close or get smaller and for Claire to keep getting stronger and bigger! We appreciate all the prayers, notes and love we have received, it has been a source of strength and we feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. Also, thank you so much for all the meals, we so appreciate it!!
Please keep in touch with us, we love seeing/hearing from you all!

Spring has sprung...and burglers beware!

This week has been especially great, spring is here! Well..we hope for good! I just love the Carolina's for these 70 degree days in February, gets no better!
Along with enjoying the weather, we have been busy getting the house ready for baby and spending lots of time taking classes downtown at Presby Hospital. The people there are great and the rooms are almost spa-like, really hope they let me stay a while. For some of you who have seen me lately, the belly is getting big! We found out Friday this baby already weighs in at 7lbs 7oz, um..WHOA, 3.5 weeks to go..you do the math! She is going to be a plump little booger for sure :)
Over the past few week there has been some serious project going on here...it is my electrical engineer husband hard at work to protect the homestead. Yes, we are installing our VERY own security system.(we as in, Kevin) My dining room has been home to many parts, tools and manuals for about 2 weeks now and it's not over. Right now we have the system working but all the sensors are not hooked up. So, burglars beware, we have a very sophisticated, home spun security unit. I am thinking I need to outsource his services? He'll be a real pro after it is all said and done!

Charlotte Baby Shower

Last weekend my dear friends Katherine and Jenny had a shower for me and baby P. It was so beautiful! Katherine hosted at her house with a lot of the friends from GD and a few of my Huntersville girls. It was a really nice day, sun shinning and about 65 degrees. Those girls are very creative, down to the game, "name that Hollywood baby"...sadly, I knew them all(thank you US Weekly) The food was so yummy, fresh fruit and veggies, little sandwiches, and of course, Jenny's home made chocolate raspberry cake-YUM! They really put a lot of effort into all the cute details, Katherine hung these adorable pink poms all over the house(think Rick even helped!). Thank you friends for a wonderful day!


Biggest Diaper cake EVER!