"Clara is one month old" or "Our two little dictators"

To explain our title, first and foremost Clara has been with us for a whole month! We love her tons and just can't get enough of her chubby cheeks and soft, fuzzy hair. Gabriel absolutely can't keep his fingers off of her (even at the risk of a time-out), and even if he is in mid-temper tantrum, he has to stop and kiss and cuddle his baby sister before he can continue. I could sit and look at her all day and never get bored, and we are really enjoying this time of getting to know our sweet little girl. Mimi (my mom) just visited us this past week, and Nana and Pawpaw (Jake's parents) are headed here on Thursday for a visit as well. I am so glad that they were all able to arrange a visit while our little Clara Grace is still brand new.

Secondly, we have two little dictators in our house: one looks like a dictator and the other acts like one! Clara's hair is crazy. After we wash and comb it, she looks a bit like Kim Jong-Il. It's dark and fuzzy, it pokes up in all directions, and it sways in the breeze like a dandilion!!! I love it, as long as it's a temporary situation. She'd really get teased at school if it stuck around! As for our other little evil dictator, Gabriel has been on the rampage lately. I'd tell you how many times he had to sit in time-out the last few days, but I have absolutely lost count. To be fair, he's been really sick twice since we brought Clara home, we've been hibernating because of the miserable weather, and he's competing for attention with a newborn, but I am really getting tired of this boundary-testing phase. I sure hope it disappears soon. Luckily, he likes to cuddle when he's feeling crummy, so I almost always get lots of cuddles between tantrums!

These pictures are a bit old, but I'll add some more this weekend.

Gabriel's 2nd Birthday

Gabriel meeting Clara in the NICU