Wednesday, June 8, 2011

53 Days old today!

Hello, all.
Apologies for the 52 day delay...
Miss Clara is 53 days old today.
What a blur it's been!
We've had visitors from afar, I got divorced, trips to the zoo, a trip to Fort Atkinson State Park in Fort Calhoun, Laurentzen Gardens, visits to Grandma South, a trip to Des Moines, Lincoln (sans Clara,) and likely some I've forgotten.
We've had sleepless nights, poopy diapers, significant hearing loss from intimate ear screaming, lots of smiles, and now she's even starting to giggle a little bit.
She's almost grown out of her newborn clothes (some she has.) When we brought her home, nearly every article of clothing we had for her was too big! She's growing bigger, and stronger, and faster. She can even stand - if I keep her from falling over. :-)
It can be frustrating. Nearly overwhelmingly frustrating. Some of you may know (all too well) that patience has never exactly been my forte.
But when I see my baby girl smile, it all melts away. Like a cheesy commercial for Calgon or something.
Make no mistake: She is the apple of my eye. I still get a little teary-eyed when I listen to Stevie Wonder's song, "Isn't She Lovely," which is a song about his own daughter. If you haven't heard it in a while, I strongly suggest you pony up the 99 cents from your favorite purveyor of online music and give it a listen. Or a hundred.
So, without further ado, here's some newer pics. And a loose promise to update this here blog a little more often...




Monday, April 18, 2011

A Couple More Pics

As promised. :-)






We hope you enjoy. Oh, and you can click them to see them bigger. I think that's true for all of them - just in case you didn't know.

Pure Magic

27 hours, 11 minutes ago, I saw my daughter rush, head first, into the world as we know it.
Within about 5 minutes of that, I was holding her, gazing into those beautiful dark blue eyes, and crying like a... well, like a baby.
I'd never actually seen a live birth before. Frankly, I might never have believed anyone who might have tried to tell me it's a beautiful thing. I am a believer now.
Beth's delivery was quick and free of complications. 2 pushes was all she took!

And so it begins...
I began this post about 11 hours ago, and am just now able to get back to it. Although, to be fair, it isn't really Clara's, or anyone's fault. Except the hospital's...
Beth decided she could be exhausted and in pain at home just as easily as at the hospital. That was about 10:30 this morning. We finally rolled out around 3:30 this afternoon.

Ok, so we're pretty much exhausted already. Beth has gotten less sleep than I have, and Miss Clara has slept more than I would have ever imagined. (She continues to do so even now.)
But one thing is certain: Clara is pure magic. Perfect. Beautiful. Nothing prepared me for that.
I knew she was gonna be beautiful - just look at her mama! But to say I'm smitten barely scratches the surface.

More to come, with a few more pics...
Hope you all are well.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls... Presenting Clara Hope!



Miss Clara Hope Simerly
Born 04/17/2011 6:16 AM
7lbs, 2 Oz, 20" long.
And beautiful!
Thank you, everybody for your kindness, support, love, and gifts. We love you all, and can't wait to introduce you all in person.
Keep watching the blog, as we intend to keep updating.

Break Water, Not Hearts!

Just about 5 minutes ago, Beth's water broke. It was clear.
She's in an enormous amount of pain. We'll keep everyone updated as this progresses...

Stay posted for huge, yet tiny, news!

Beth was admitted this morning "in labor." we came in yesterday morning around 10:30. That was kind of a funny and convoluted story which I am currently too tired to convey...

We were just informed that she now has to walk around for an hour. Yay. Poor kid. She's just this side of miserable right now.

Stay tuned.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

38 Weeks and Counting...

Today we are at 38 weeks.
Our appointment went very well. Beth has gained 3 more pounds, which is most certainly all baby.
She is also dilated to 2 cm, and her uterus is at about 50% for thickness. So, it really could be any day now. 
She's been having "contractions" for about a week and a half now, and frankly, I think she's ready to be done with the whole "pregnancy thing."
And as long as we're being frank here, I kinda am too. I want to meet my baby girl!
Beth keeps teasing me with all the pseudo - contractions. To be fair, she doesn't have any way of knowing whether labor is starting or not. Better to be safe and prepared, I suppose. And of course, we'll keep you posted. :-)

Hope all is well with you and yours.