Birthday and Anniversary Shenanigans

First of all, hey! I have been absent lately for plenty of good reasons but primarily because of this cutie pie:

Yeah, she's precious.

Well, I don't have great pictures today, but I still need to write because this week was my birthday and my anniversary. It's one of those obligatory posts, you know...

So, birthday:

Jeff's birthday was two months ago, but whatever. I like sharing. :)

I have reached one of those arbitrary ages, so it's not too exciting. Yay, birth! Thanks, Mom. :)

Anniversary :

Claire: let's take a three-year-anniversary selfie.

Jeff: okay.

It was too bright for me, but apparently Jeff was unphased, haha. I am a mess. Also, do we look as tired as we feel? Because we are sleep deprived something fierce.

As a matter of fact, I have noticed a serious drop in my brain power since having a baby; the struggle is so real when I try looking at a menu, articulating my thoughts, or playing Bananagrams. It's getting out of hand, but goodness am I grateful for my wee babe. I need a nap, but here I am blogging at midnight while my baby is asleep. It's my life.

Well, here's a little update. Riley is six weeks old! She is really sweet and she gets cuter and more fun each day. She just started smiling voluntarily. 😍

She is still a bitty, little thing. She still fits in all her newborn clothes except for one pj set. She is long and skinny. It is so adorable.

She still has gas and a little acid reflux we think. It's her biggest struggle in life right now. She is fussy about half the time. The other half she stares fascinated at chair legs, walls, and other novel, high-contrast treasures. Haha.

I have been working really hard at eating right to prevent her aforementioned gas and reflux. You. Guys. No dairy, no gluten, no chocolate, no spicy food, no broccoli, no happiness. The list, if you can believe it is longer than that. Think I'm exaggerating? I am not. She has the hardest time if I indulge.

Healthy food. Boo. Just kidding. It is really refreshing and I like getting creative with oatmeal and rice products (feed me normal food!)...

Another update, I bought a great book for my birthday. It's called Permission to Parent. Just good old-fashioned authoritative parenting lit.

Can you believe it? More oatmeal. 

I love this book. I am 65 pages in and highly recommend.

Alright. I am getting my priorities straight and calling it a night.

Have a great week!

Riley is the Cutest

My baby is three and a half weeks old. She is growing up but she is still so tiny. :) I adore her.

Well, here's an update on our lives:

Jeff is nearly done with school. He has a just over a week left. He has been so helpful with Riley and he is still handling school. I am always so impressed by all he can juggle. It's amazing! We are sleep-deprived, but happy.Yesterday it hit me how much I like being a mom. Notwithstanding the struggles of having a baby, being a mom is pretty rad.

Riley likes long walks and laying on her changing pad. She calms down almost immediately when we hold her close to our chest. She likes car rides and being outside. She has got some strong little neck muscles and she has rolled from her stomach to her side three times in the last two days (1. Is that considered rolling over? 2. Is it normal for that to happen this early?) Anyway, she is a little champ. 

I finally made a birth announcement today as well, so, you know... Now it's official. :)

I hope you have a great week!