September 28, 2011

Pajama Day

When I taught kindergarten we used to always have a week-long unit on bears and other hibernating animals during the winter.  On Friday, all the students would wear their pajamas and slippers and robes to school and we would hang out in caves (ie: underneath the tables with blankets draped over them) with flashlights and drink hot chocolate and read books and stay very very quiet. It was always a really fun day (for the kids; exhausting for the teachers!).

Clara had her six month check up at the pediatrician yesterday and aside from getting four - yikes! four! - shots, she is otherwise doing great.  But it was reiterated to us for the second time in as many days just how careful we have to be this winter during cold and flu season.  I think I had been hoping somewhere deep inside that since Clara is doing so well and is not as sick as many other babies with her condition that we might get a pass on worrying about sickness all winter.  Bummer.  We're not special.  Clara will be prone to respiratory illness just like any other baby with CDH and it could easily take a turn for the worse and become a yucky case of pneumonia or something else.  So, we're doing everything we can this winter/fall to prevent sickness.  She got her first flu shot yesterday and will get a second one in another month.  She's also eligible for synagis, the RSV vaccine, so it will be given to her every 28 days starting at the beginning of November.  Aside from that we were urged to hibernate through the winter.  Sadly, she said we should avoid going to church, taking Clara out in any kind of crowd, and especially do our best to stay away from other children aged 12-36 months (the icky toddlers who all have crud and aren't old enough yet to really know how to keep it to themselves).  We have another couple of weeks, at most, of freedom before we'll begin our serious hibernating with hopes that we can get Clara through this first cold and flu season without incident.  Yes, she will eventually get exposed to all this stuff and will someday get sick, like any child.  But we're to do everything in our power to try to avoid letting it happen this first year.

So, just to practice our upcoming hibernation lifestyle, today Clara and I had a pajama day.  It was fabulous.  I guess she understood just what I meant this morning when I announced to her that we would not be getting dressed today.  She took three amazingly long naps totaling 5.5 hours of nappery.  I even napped during her first one, which hasn't happened in months! [Sidenote: I needed to nap because I stayed up way too late last night making some changes to the blog.  We needed a new header, with Clara's photo and not just the ultrasound and empty crib.  So I gave it a bit of a facelift... let me know your thoughts on it.]  Aside from that, we read lots of books, she ate lots, we played on the carpet, she bounced in the doorway while I cooked and we had a generally happy cozy day at home.  I'm sure it's gonna get old this winter and I'll be going a little stir crazy at some point, but today was truly about as good as it gets.  Want some photographic evidence?

Happy to be in my PJs
 Clara loves this bla bla doll.  I love it, too.  The heck with gender stereotyping.  I absolutely adored playing with baby dolls when I was little and it took me thirty years to get a real live one of my own.  I hope she loves playing with dolls as much as I did.  I think it makes good mamas.  This one is super soft and really unique though.  A great first doll.
Sitting tall with my bla bla doll
Laughing baby

So big and strong on my belly now

Wanna see my tongue?

Happy as a clam

Whatchu looking at?

Loving on my bla bla

You can still bounce, even in PJs
I love to read stories with Mama

Snug as a bug in a rug.  Three naps = 5.5 hours.  Delightful.
Yep, pajama day was pretty grand.

6 comments:

  1. Yep... PJ day with babies are SO much better than PJ day with 24 kindergartners! These pictures are adorable. I love them all, but I especially like the door jumper one (!) and the one of her sitting up, in those almost too big but sweet pajamas with her doll. I am thankful that Clara was able to get her flu shot... good timing/baby planning C! Rebekah couldn't get one until she was 6 months old and by then flu season was over(March) so she had to go without one last year.

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  2. I love the new design of the blog! I am praying Clara can stay healthy this flu season, she is so adorable!!

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  3. Still love a pj day ..... delightful, no matter the age. You and Clara have so-ooooo many wonderful days ahead of you. Try to delight in them all ... even the stir crazy ones, because way too soon, life will zoom her out the door and you will wonder just why she could not have stayed your baby for just a little longer.

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  4. Just precious! Her pictures just fill my heart with joy when I am at work and need a happy moment! Pajama Day is such a neat idea. She certainly does look like she enjoys the books - how wonderful! Love the new design of the blog.

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  5. Love the new design. My favorite picture this time is of Clara on her tummy. She looks so strong on her stomach....an amazing accomplishment for her. And she's sitting up so straight. Way to go Clara.

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  6. Once again, heart melting photos of your girl!

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