Clara's First Bath

Clara's umbilicus (stub from the umbilical cord) fell off on Friday...which meant it was bath time! Needless to say it was not her favorite activity.

Thanksgiving Weekend Pictures

A view of the living room in our cozy two-bedroom apartment. The rocking chair Erin is sitting in was graciously donated by a couple in our church.

Grandma Toelcke ('Grammy') enjoys some time with Clara.

Auntie Emily.

Grandpa Toelcke ('Grampy')

My first Thanksgiving outfit!

Cleaning up after a long day.

Thanksgiving

The rest of Erin's family arrived in Houston to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. Our family has so much to be thankful for, especially when I reflect on all that has transpired over the past 10 months. Our transition from Memphis to Houston has been a difficult road at times but God has been so faithful in all things. Nowhere has His faithfulness and mercy been more clear than in Erin's pregnancy and recent arrival of our precious daughter Clara. Erin endured no significant sickness or complications during the entire pregnancy, and was only in true hard labor for less than an hour. Clara was born perfectly healthy and has made great progress with nursing and growth, and overall is a very well-mannered child (so far). The Lord also provided a buyer for our townhouse in Memphis, despite the slumping market, and we will close on the sale this Tuesday! Join us in praising God for this and many other blessings.

We read Psalm 138 at the dinner table on Thursday:

1 I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.

4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
for great is the glory of the LORD.
6 For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Caution: Cuteness Factor Increasing

Extreme close up. Clara is wearing one of the little hats we brought home from the hospital as the ones we have are nearly twice the size of her little head!

Ok, I know...the bib's a little too big yet...just a cheap marketing ploy by daddy here. Remember, this little girl has already flown Continental around 12 times during her stay in Erin's tummy over the summer! I will have to send this photo over to the marketing department.

For now, we have Clara sleeping in a comfy Moses basket that Erin's mom got for us. We can transport it around the apartment quite easily. She loves being swaddled up like a little strawberry muffin in these very soft cotton pink blankets that Auntie Barbara gave us.

Homecoming Day

Clara continues to bring much joy. Our second night was better than the first, a little more sleep for all 3 of us and continued progress on the breastfeeding front....baby steps. Here are pictures from her last few hours in the hospital and the ride home to our apartment.

Clara wearing her first outfit.

Heading home...great care, great nurses for the entire stay.

First car seat ride...slept through the whole thing. Clara is wearing the same bonnet Erin wore when she came home from the hospital as a baby.

Two bleary-eyed but joyful parents relaxing at home with Clara this evening.

Long First Night

Shot this short video with my digital camera about 3:30 am on Tuesday night with Clara. As expected, she kept us up pretty much the entire night....though I cannot think of a better reason to lack sleep than to spend time with this angel. Witnessing the bond between Clara and Erin develop through the breastfeeding process has been truly remarkable....a tribute to God's incredible design.

More hospital pics

Clara arrived home with us from the hospital early this afternoon. Here are some more pictures from the hospital. Enjoy!

Bonding with daddy.

Bonding with Grandma Toelcke.

Clara's not-so-subtle reminder of what she wants.

Abundant Life, Abundant Joy!

WHAT A BLESSING!!! Praise God!! The pictures speak for themselves. I just ran home to upload these pictures due to no internet access working at the hospital. Erin and Clara are doing great! The pediatrician came in tonight and said she was "perfect"...despite her powerful wailing during his poking and prodding. This girl has some lungs!

First Pictures

Thanks to Grammy Lilla, these photos were sent to Auntie Emmy via telephone. Mommy and Daddy will have more soon.

She's Here

Clara Suzanne was born this morning at 6:19 CST. She weighs 7lbs, 1 oz. Currently, Daddy has no Internet access, so stay posted for updates (and pictures). Mommy, Daddy, and Clara are all doing well!

D-Day - Due date is here!

Sorry to sound like a broken record....plenty of irregular contractions, no hard labor yet. Today, November 12th, marks Erins "official" due date assigned way back in March. We have been taking walks around the neighborhood near our apartment to try and get things going. Erin has been feeling a little more crampy this morning and has had a few contractions (most of them have been coming in the evenings before today). I guess that is our only measure of "progress" at this point. We are praying that, if labor has not begun by the time we reach the hospital, that the induction this evening will put her into labor immediately to minimize the drugs necessary. Either way we are really excited about meeting our new daughter sometime in the next 24-36 hrs! Thank you for your prayers.

Still waiting...

Well, its Saturday night and all is well...no labor yet! Erin's doctor is not on call this weekend so we are ok if baby waits until Monday morning. Though I have to work tomorrow morning, I was able to clear my schedule for all of next week and am only scheduled to work a total of 4 more days between now and the middle of December. The schedule flexibility at Continental has been a great blessing. We look forward to worshiping with our church family at Covenant PCA tomorrow. Thanks for checking in!

Welcome!

Family and friends, hello and welcome to our new blog! Check back here for the latest updates on the impending birth of our baby girl. Lord willing, we will be holding this precious little miracle in our arms no later than this coming Tuesday afternoon!

Erin is now scheduled to be induced on Monday evening, Nov. 12, if labor has not begun before then. After reviewing ultrasound results at our appointment this past Wed., the doctor said the amniotic fluid levels were fairly low suggesting that the placenta is fully mature and that the baby needs to be born sooner rather than later. Erin has been experiencing more frequent "mini-contractions" every day. Her doctor said the cervix is soft, she is 1.5cm dilated and could go into labor at any time. We are praying that Erin will go into labor naturally before Monday evening. We have been practicing breathing and relaxation techniques, and Erin would prefer not to be administered any drugs if possible (an epidural would be more likely if she were induced).

Below are screen captures from Erin's last ultrasound this past Wednesday. Little miss Polderman is estimated to be about 6 lbs 13 ounces.