New baby, new blog

Since we are starting a new chapter in our lives - and because our friends and family aren't too happy with the slow pace of our picture posting on Karey's other blog - we figured it was time to start a new blog entirely devoted to everything Clara.

So what better way to start off than to give you what you are demanding - baby pictures!

Clara, wearing a hat Karey's mom knitted for her.

A better view of the hat, which is supposed to be like neapolitan ice cream, with cherries on top!

Sophie rarely acknowledges Clara, so this was a rare moment.

We got two deliveries in the mail today for the nursery - new drapes (clearance at Pottery Barn Teen) and rug (Karey is obsessed with the rug!)

Clara is now eating 3-4 ounces at a time, up from two ounces just last week. She is definitely growing!

Clara turned seven weeks today. Doctors believe that she was eight weeks early, so that means next week she would have been due to be born! It's amazing to think that she should still be in the womb. She is doing incredibly well and, really, it seems like her size is the only indication of how early she was. She is completely healthy. What a miracle!

Everyone comments how much bigger she has gotten since we first met her. She is now fitting nicely into her preemie clothes, which were big on her last week. She was five pounds two ounces at her doctor's appointment eight days ago, so it's entirely possibly that she could be six pounds by her next appointment on the 25th.

We just had a great visit with Karey's parents, who were so excited to meet little Clara. Ryan's family visited when we first got home (and set up the nursery, I might add!) and then Ryan's mom stayed on to help out Karey. We can't wait for everyone else to meet her! We are so excited for everyone who is coming very soon - our friends Gina and Troy, Aunt Amy and Uncle Joe, Aunt Caitlin and Jordan, Karey's Aunt Carol and Uncle Dan, Barb and Whitey are stopping on their way south, Uncle Ronnie might be planning a trip... anyone I forgot? Oh ya...Nicole, D (who she has already met once), and baby L. Everyone is welcome!

We also want to thank all of you who have helped us out in so many ways. So many of you have sent beautiful gifts (if we had started this blog sooner, we could have posted pics of everything we got, but things have long since been laundered and put away), and others have donated so generously to our adoption fund. And our families - we don't even know what to say! You have all made this possible and to say we are eternally grateful is an understatement. Thank you!