Just thought we should mention that we recently welcomed a new member of the family.
On Friday the 14th at 5:57pm, Clara Kenley Petersik was born with a paint brush in her hand weighing in at 7 lbs 10 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long. We’re insanely in love with her. And she and Burger are already best buddies. Seriously, he thinks it’s his job to stand guard next to her at all times.
Clara was named after John’s grandmother on his dad’s side. And her middle name, Kenley, is an homage to my dad (Ken) with John’s mom’s maiden name worked in there (Kelley) along with a reference to my great aunt on my mom’s side named Lee. Gotta love rooms and names that multitask.
We’re all home from the hospital and happily settling back into life here at Casa Petersik (there’s nothing like a four day hospital stint to make you miss your house like crazy). Yes, we actually had an extended stay due to a pretty terrifying scare during Clara’s birth (an unexpected placental abruption paired with an umbilical cord prolapse had a slew of wonderful doctors and nurses performing an emergency c-section in under three minutes to ensure that Clara was a-ok). But although her delivery was anything but restful, we’re both over the moon that she’s 100% healthy and 1000% adorable (not that we’re biased or anything).
And now that we’re all back home, Clara really seems to be enjoying her new surroundings. In short: we feel like two of the luckiest people in the world. And we’re so thankful to be able to share this amazing time in our lives with such wonderful readers. Thank you all for the well wishes that you’ve passed along throughout our big journey to parenthood. We can’t wait to detail all the ways that our house grows and changes to accommodate a little person and we promise to share all the organization, storage, and simple living tips that we pick up along the way (while tackling even more DIY adventures and cheap-o room makeovers of course).
But now back to our regularly scheduled blogging. We have an awesome house tour to share, so stay tuned…
Psst- We’ll also be announcing the random winner of the big baby pool (and a $100 West Elm gift card) tomorrow, so stick around.
stacy says
CONGRATS!!!!! Clara is insanely perfect!! This is the most incredible journey a Mom (and Dad) can take, ENJOY!! (and get in plenty of rest) =)
Lisa says
awww im so excited for you both! And that’s such a good name
x
Mary Catherine Sears says
What a wonderful blessing! Congratulations to the Petersik family! This really brightened my day to hear about Clara’s arrival!
Sarah Sarniak says
Congratulations! She’s soooo beautiful. :)
Beth says
Congratulations! She is beautiful and has a beautiful name!
Sara says
Congratulations! She is gorgeous! So happy for you! :)
Andi says
Ohhhhhhh!!!! Congrats! She is gorgeous! I had a feeling when I checked today that we would have some good news. Can’t wait to see her with a hammer in hand! Thank you for sharing this with us and best wishes!
Dana says
Congrats!!!! She is so alert and adorable!
Gina A. says
Congratulations on the beautiful new member of your family! Burger looks so proud! :)
Carey says
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
{The Classy Woman} says
Oh, my goodness she is adorable. What a beautiful little blessing from God. :) Congratulations to you both. I just had a feeling that this weekend was the time. I’m so glad that she arrived safely and that you are all back home. Thanks for sharing some pics.
Enjoy every minute of your new baby girl.
~Karla
Becky says
She’s lovely. Congratulations! I love that her name means so much to you! and I’m very happy to hear that things turned out great despite the complications.
brenda says
simply adorable…congratulations
Erin says
I had a feeling something sneaky was going on this weekend! Congratulations! She’s absolutely amazing and I’m so glad everyone is well following that kind of scare. I’m so happy for all of you (Burger too!)
Lauren F. says
Congrats! Love her name!
Melynda says
Congrats! Clara is one of my favorite girl names- number two to be exact. If I have two daughters, the second will be Clara. I also have a great grandmother who had the name- too funny. Now you need to find someone who knits to make you the “Clara Dress”. I just finished mine a few weeks ago. It was always one of my favorite knitted garments (and the name makes it all the better). Find some pictures here: http://frenchpressknits.blogspot.com/2010/05/clara-off-needles.html I originally found it in Soak ads.
sarah says
You are a superstar, Sherry! Congrats to you and John! Welcome to the world of DIY and Home Remodeling, Clara! It’s an interesting and bumpy ride at times, but your Mom and Dad are driving the bus and they have a whole lotta excited passengers!
Sarah :)
Heidi says
She’s perfect! Congrats Youngsters!
Claudia says
Congrats!!! She’s adorable! Wishing you the best on this wonderful journey called parenthood. :)
Jill says
Congratulations! What a sweet little girl. Big hugs to the happy family.
Jenny says
So excited for you guys, and so glad you got through the scary birth and can now enjoy being at home with your beautiful daughter. Love the name!
Laura says
Yay! Congratulations. Clara is a beautiful name–one of my favorites!!
Robin says
Wow, what a beauty! Congratulations (and well done) to both of you. I’m so glad I read this update first thing in the morning – it’s definitely put a smile on my face to start the day.
Christine says
One word – PERFECT! As you already know, Clara-bean is gorgeous. Welcome, little one! Mommy & daddy are still in that first week glow (the “babymoon”, as someone else said), but remember to take full advantage of working from home and take naps when she takes naps – you’ll need them! Congrats to Sherry, John and Big Brother Burger :o}
cynthia says
CONGRATS!!!!!!!!
Jovana says
Congratulations!! An emergency c-section IS the scariest thing ever, so unexpected. .but that little one is worth it all.
Tammy says
Congratulations! She is precious and I adore her name! Enjoy every moment with her, the time goes by so fast. I just gave birth in January and my little man is already learning to do so much. Best of luck to you as you enter parenthood.
Brandie says
A thousand Congratulations! She is absolutely perfect!
Katryna R. says
Congratulations!!! You are so lucky and good luck with the little one!!!
erin says
she’s beautiful! congratulations to you!!
Tiffany says
She is beautiful!
Jolie says
Congratulations! She truly is beautiful!
MikeBiggs says
Congratulations! You made a real life person! A darn cute one at that!!
Kristen says
Congrats to you all! And glad everyone is home safe and sound!
Jennifer says
welcome, Clara! congrats John and Sherry (and Burger)!
RJ says
Congrats! She’s so sweet!
Candace says
She will makes your lives a million times more wonderful than you can even fathom. Many happy thoughts you way. :)
CarrieK says
Absolutely gorgeous! Love her name, congrats to all!
CT says
John and Sherry, I read your blog several times a day but never comment. Now I can’t resist– congratulations on your beautiful daughter! She’s adorable, and I love the name! Perfect taste like everything you do! I’m so grateful to hear that y’all made it through such a scary medical situation. Life is so precious, isn’t it? I hope you give yourself some permission to rest and recuperate and enjoy time with little Clara in the coming weeks and months. Your readers will always be here for you when you are back in full swing. We love everything you guys do, from the content to the excellent writing to your open-minded attitude! Even when I don’t see everything exactly the same way as y’all (whether on a design issue or something else) I love, love, love to hear your perspective on things (which sometimes changes mine). Take care of Clara and each other and know that there’s a lot of love out here for your family! Congratulations again! CT
RC says
Congratulations!!!
MaryGene says
she is soo cuuuuute!! Congratulations, y’all! I love the name ‘Clara’ too! Sweet and unique!
Gracia says
Congratulations! She’s adorable, and it’s great that things are going well now.
I love her name, it was once a popular one here but not anymore, although it has a very nice meaning and sound in Spanish!
Heather@VintageSoulsPhotography says
She is beautiful! Congrats!!!!!!
Kristi says
Congratulations! What a little cutie! Wishing you all the best in this new adventure.
Kristen Hawley says
Awesome – So happy for you both. She is adorable! =)
Ashley says
Congratulations to you both- she’s a beautiful little bundle of joy!!
Elle Sees says
Welcome, sweet, beautiful Clara!
Congrats, y’all. If the blogging thing doesn’t work out, y’all sure do make beautiful babies!
Erin says
Oh my goodness she is so adorable! Congratulations, enjoy every minute because it will go by so fast!
Erin says
Congratulations! She is beautiful!
I too had plans of a natural birth that turned into a c-section. I was disappointed, but in the end a healthy baby and momma are all that matter. The recovery was not nearly as bad as I expected. Get some rest and enjoy these times. They grows faster than you can ever imagine. Before you know it you see another newborn and can’t imagine that your little one was ever that small.
Keren says
Congratulations! She is BEAUTIFUL! And the picture of Burger guarding her is precious!! She’s going to grow up a dog lover. Enjoy every moment, no matter how stressed or tired you may be.