NICU Costume Party!

Yesterday the "NICU girls" had a costume party for the babies. There have been a slew of babies born to NICU nurses within the last year and a half or so. We had so much fun getting our kids together and dressing them up! We are going to make it a Halloween tradition! They were so cute!

Back row left to right: Kendall with her Mommy Chante, Carson, Jayda (sorry Jayda we can't see you!) , Ava, Elise and her Mommy Beka.

Front row left to right: Anna with her Mommy Brittney, Noah, Landon with his Mommy Deanna, Claire with her Mommy Michele.

Claire the Sunflower

Claire the Sunflower... she HATED it. She wasn't a very "sunny" sunflower. Everytime I put the costume on her she screamed! Needless to say, she was only in it a couple times very briefly for pictures. I thought she looked adorable !!

A Day in the Life of Claire!

I am a very busy girl with an active social life. Here is just a glimse of a typical day in my life...



Here I am in my Bumbo watching Mommy make dinner.

Here I am with Daddy & Sophie on our way for an evening walk.

Here I am at Uncle Scott & Aunt Heather's house. Caroline & I are forced to have yet another photo shoot.

Now here I am defending my poor little Cousin Caroline. I am not happy at all with the Papparazzi... they are making baby Caroline cry and I had to get forceful.

Okay... we're cool now. Caroline stopped crying once the crazy photographer's took a second to give Caroline her pacifier.

Whew.. what a busy day! The best part was spending time with Caroline!

Spending Time W/ Mommy & Daddy!

I love spending time with my Mommy & Daddy! I got to help Daddy do some work on his Laptop!! As you can see I am getting big. Daddy & Mommy call me thunder thighs!

Mommy and I are just hanging out in our matching pink warm-up suits (unintentional!!)!

Fun in the Exersaucer!

This weekend my Daddy put together my Exersaucer. He said I was too little for it, but Mommy convinced him I was big enough and strong enough. My Daddy was VERY frustrated when he put it together. He said something like you need a degree in Engineering to assemble the stupid thing... whatever that means! But, he finally got it put together for me and I have been playing in ever since! I have so much fun!! Mommy takes me out of it before I am done sometimes because she read babies shouldn't stay in them too long! Oh well... I love it while I'm in it! Fun times!

So BIG!!

I love it when mommy sits me on the couch all by myself. I feel like such a big girl. Today I got a little bored with that so I kept trying to straighten myself up so I could stand on the couch. With a little bit of help I was able to stand and lean against the couch (don't worry... my mommy was right there to spot me!!). I was so excited I started squealing and smiling. My mommy thought I looked very cute. She said I am getting "So Big".

3 Months Old!

Today Claire is 3 months old and as you can see she is quite a big girl! She is changing everyday and getting so strong. It's amazing how quickly they grow at this age! My baby is getting BIG!!

Sleepy Girl!!

Yesterday while watching the OSU blow out against Michigan State, Claire got a little bored and fell asleep! She did however, get to see her cousin Ben play quite a bit! We were very happy and proud of Big Ben!! Go BUCKS!

Sophie & Claire!

Here I am with my furry big sister, Sophie. She is very sweet with me and even lets me cuddle up against her. She is so soft & cozy. I love her! I think we are going to be very good friends. Mommy calls us "her girls"! Mommy sure does love animals. I know I will, too!

Lovin' Tummy Time!

Mommy says it is very important for me to lay on my belly so I can continue to grow big and strong. I think it's fun... I feel like a big girl! I love watching everything that goes on around me and sometimes I like to scream real loud. A couple times I've even scared myself!! Mommy just sits and watches me and smiles a lot at me. She thinks I'm silly!





Whew... this tummy stuff is hard work. Is it time for a nap now??

Our Big "Claire Bear"!

As you can see, our Claire Bear (as she is affectionately known by her Daddy), is getting to be a big girl. She definitely has a mind of her own & isn't afraid to let us know how she's feeling! It is so much fun to see her personality start to develop. Everyday is something new and we can't wait to see what every new day brings from our girl! She is truly the best thing to ever happen to us and we thank God for her!!!

My Cousin Caroline!

Today I went to my Aunt Heather & Uncle Scott's house to visit my cousin Caroline. We had a lot of fun and of course Mommy & Aunt Heather made us have yet another photo shoot. Caroline wasn't too sure about it, but I tried to be the big cousin and help get little Caroline through it. I tried to tell her she better get use to the picture taking because it has only just begun!

Picture time again????

I think Caroline is pretending to be asleep... somebody should tell her that trick doesn't work. They'll keep taking pictures anyway!

Do you think they'll notice if I put her in a head lock????

These people are crazy... how many pictures do you need anyway?

I am so done with this. Is it over yet? I think Caroline really is asleep now... wish I was.

Where did they take my cousin? I'm sorry about the head lock. I promise I won't do it again... can you bring her back???

Welcome Caroline Grace McDowell!

Today we went to the hospital to visit the baby and we found out her name is Caroline! It's a beautiful name for a beautiful baby.... it really fits her! We also got pictures of Claire & Caroline together. Claire looked like a bus next to Caroline, but it was so cute to finally see the girls together! They were both calm during the photo shoot. It was like they already loved being around one another. It was so much fun!!! Welcome to the world little Caroline! You are VERY loved!!

Happy Birthday Baby!

Scott & Heather are the proud parents of a beautiful, healthy, little girl. Mom and baby are doing great. The name is still being negotiated, but we are promised a name by tomorrow. We do know the middle name is Grace and of course the last name is McDowell. She was born Sunday, October 1st at 8:19pm after a very quick, but intense labor & delivery. Heather did an awesome job... we are so proud of you!! The baby weighed 8lbs 2oz and was 20 3/4 inches long!! She is absolutely adorable with tons of long, jet black hair. I can't wait to get pictures of Claire & the baby together. They are going to be so cute!! Congratulations Scott & Heather and welcome Baby Girl McDowell to the family. We love you so much already!