Adventures of a New Mom

 I love our daughter, Claira Jane. Baby Claira. Little love bug. Our little dinosaur (you should hear her when she's hungry--seriously what I imagine a little baby stegosaurus would sound like). My sisters laugh when they hear her making her cute sounds when they call. They always ask if Claira is with me. This is an obvious yes, and they know it, but they ask it anyway. I love that I have a 24/7 pal .



You wouldn't believe that it will be six weeks on Sunday since Claira joined our family in the flesh. That's six weeks of learning how to change blow-outs with grace, the difference between a sleepy whimper and a call for food in the wee morning hours, how to swaddle, what is really essential for the diaper bag, and the importance of a routine. I'm gearing up for cloth diapering and letting her cry for more than 5 seconds, but those two things have yet to be accomplished.

 I'm starting to be more daring (actually leaving the house to make visits to friends like Chel and get this out-of-the-blue photo shoot). This child is gaining weight on the double, and unfortunately my arm muscles are having a hard time keeping up. When we were taking Tyler to school yesterday, I attempted to grab the handle of the car seat. The next moments were in slow motion, as I watched our precious bundle of joy do a 180 in the air, with the bottom of the car seat staring at me and not a peep from the child underneath. Heart pounding, I turned the seat over to see a quietly staring Claira. When she saw my look of terror, a few tears were shed on her part. But she is alive and well. Oh, the adventures we will have, Claira Jane and I.

 I love when she's tired and stretches her arms with fists outstretched, arching her back, and then falls into my arms like a limp sack of potatoes. The first few weeks of her life, my arms literally ached from holding her so much. What a joyous ache, much better than the ache of empty arms.

 I don't mind getting up to feed her in the night. I've had several helpers (thank you Tyler, Mom and Kristin!) who have tried their best to keep me sane by keeping me asleep at times, but it's hard to do that; I don't want to miss a thing about this little, beautiful life. This time will never be given back to me. It's a treasure that I knew I wanted but didn't know how incredibly rich I would feel in receiving.

I watched this talk at General Conference about mothers and daughters and rejoiced in my life. remembering the darker days when such I talk would have left me feeling empty. I rejoice in this true gift from God, this daughter of ours. What a lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky mom I am.