First of all, thank you THANK YOU for all of your kind words and well wishes about the birth of our little Clara. It means so much to have so many people sharing in our joy. Now, who of you would like to share in our diaper changes?
Obviously the winner of the baby pool (and the $100 West Elm gift card that goes along with it) is someone who picked May 14th as Baby P’s birthday. And while I’d love to tell you how many people guessed the right date, going through 5600+ entries is admittedly not high on my daddy to-do list. But trust us when we say it was actually a rare choice, with many people guessing (like Sherry) that she’d come a bit late or on her actual due date (which just happens to be today). And in the informal family baby pool that we did with our extended family, not a single person guessed May 14th. Surprisingly, I actually had the closest guess (May 15 at 4:15am – which was only about 10 hours off). But it’s not because I have any sort of daddy intuition at all, I just selfishly selected my own half birthday as the random day that she’d arrive. And apparently she decided to drop in a bit early to surprise us all.
But there’s not a hundred dollar West Elm gift card in my future. That prize goes to one random spot-on guesser from our baby pool who picked May 14th (as selected by random.org). And that lucky lady is… Sue! We’d love to know if you used any secret method when it came to predicting the right date (phases of the moon? pulling numbers out of a hat?). Oh and we’d also love to know what you’ve got your eye on at West Elm! Happy shopping…
Find more freebie info on our Giveaway FAQs page.
katiethelady says
what a gorgeous girl Clara is! enjoy your snuggles!
speaking of mantel… I’m looking for one like yours. Is it DIY?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey katiethelady,
We actually inherited both of the mantels in our house (one in the den, one in the living room) so aside from a nice coat of paint we didn’t DIY them at all. We’re sure you could google around for a tutorial that’s super similar though- they’re very basic designs. Happy hunting…
xo,
s
Gloria says
Dear Sherry and John: I clicked onto your website, after not doing so for a couple of days, and I said: “Who’s that baby???” Then I realized, duh, it’s their new baby!!!! Hooray for you! Congratulations and welcome to little Clara. I enjoy your blog, and visit often. Take it easy Sherry, I had a C-section too. When you are lying down, keep a hooked sheet or a towel around your foot to grab and help you ‘lift’ yourself up, so that you don’t strain yourself (plus, I am sure you have experienced that “Oh God” feeling when you first had to get used to sitting up!). Enjoy your daughter, she is beautiful.
Best regards,
Gloria
Nancy Shirley says
Wow, nice upgrade and just THINK of the fun little Clara will have with the sprayer in the bathroom! My kids only had fun unrolling the bathroom tissue!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Nancy,
It’s true! But we did realize that we can “lock” the sprayer by turning the nozzle that controls the water level all the way down to the off position. Whew!
xo,
s
Elaine says
Congrats on the baby!!! I’m so happy the emergency-C ended up safe and sound!
Nerdy question – for random.org, did you create a spreadsheet of name/date chosen for each day? Did you have to manually enter the choices in for each of the 5600 comments?
Insanely curious about the process you used.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Elaine,
Since manually entering all of the comments was out of the question, we used random.org’s random number generator to select a number between 1 and 5644. Then we found the corresponding comment to that number. Of course the first one we looked at wasn’t someone guessing May 14th, so we got another randomly generated number from random.org and looked at that one in hopes of seeing someone who guessed the 14th. We followed this process until we hit on someone who guessed the correct date (it only took four randomly generated numbers, which thrilled us to no end). And since it’s a perfectly random and unbiased selection process it saved us from having to sort through the comments for the right dates or enter anything by hand. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Carmen says
Love the pictures and the little notes that you guys write about Clara. Talking of pictures… how do you guys find the camera that you bought. Was it worth the buy and what is your opinion. The pictures of Clara are absolutely gorgeous and from personal experience, I say take as many as possible as they grow way too fast. Love your post. Enjoy the peanut.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Carmen,
Here’s a post about our recent camera purchase: https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/04/stop-or-ill-point-and-shoot/
After some online research and talking to friends and family members who owned it, we were confident that it was the right choice and we love it!
xo,
s
aimee says
just putting in my 2 cents that Clara is sooo sweet and I for one would be thrilled with baby-related posts (like i am dying to know about your experience with cloth diapering as i am about to take the plunge this summer!)…if people don’t like it, they can just scroll down! you will have a GIANT audience, no matter what you guys decide–everyone is so happy for you guys!!
ps. those CHEEKS!! eeeee!!
Bryanna S says
I’ll take diaper duty for ya… if I lived anywhere NEAR you. Now is the best time to change diapers! 100% breastfed babies have sweet smelling poop with nothing weird poking out (like undigested green beans and carrots… )plus you don’t even need to rinse 100% breastfed poopy diapers yet as breastmilk poop is water soluble so the washer takes care of it for ya :D
I miss changing prior to 6 month diapers… the addition of solids makes my 14 month old diapers NO fun to change.. and her fighting me doesn’t help either! Oh the days where all she could do was just lay there…
Jennecca says
Congrats on the beanette she is beautiful!!!!!!!!
Samantha says
She is beautiful! Congratulations.
Dana @ House*Tweaking says
I like the idea of a special Burger and baby blog/section also… “Burger and Small Fry”…hehe…get it? ok, that was lame.
YoungHouseLove says
We actually were thinking about nicknames for Clara, and although we usually call her C-Monkey or Claire-bear, calling her Tater Tot would be pretty appropriate since we do have a Burger in the house. Hehe.
xo,
s
Stephanie says
I have been a huge fan for a while now and I just wanted to tell you how thrilled I am for you both!!! What a blessing and such a beauty! Welcome to the world Miss Clara! Now you just need to tach her how to blog…
Melinda J says
Congratulations! She is beautiful!!!
Maya says
Darn it, I guessed the right date too! Thought I might win one! :) I guessed Friday on Friday when you guys didn’t update as early in the day as you normally do, though, so I can’t claim any kind of magical predictive power :)
Maya says
P.S. I totally wouldn’t mind more about Clara too… I don’t think you would need a whole new blog for this kind of thing. Adjusting to being parents in your home is a big part of making your home happy, healthy and livable, so whatever you post will be relevant enough! I read for the design and DIY but I’d love to hear more about your journey into parenthood, too.
White Rabbit says
I have been a long time reader but have never posted until now. I just logged and saw little Clara and wanted to say congratulations! She is just gorgeous and looks so content (and may I say stylish in that lovely wrap.) :)
Krista Haws says
Oh she is so cute!! Those cheeks are so squeezable. I agree with your other posts, I think the camera was a good choice! So much so that we are going to get our own!! Thanks for your review.
Kristi says
Congratulations! Clara is beautiful! Love the name!
John, we have the same birthday! And so does my son. My due date was December 1 and we thought maybe the little man would arrive on Daddy’s December 6 birthday. When I went into labor in the wee hours of November 14, we thought that was the day, but our stubborn boy held out through 32 hours of labor to make his appearance on my birthday. Best birthday gift ever!
Claire says
I had many a nickname, the most popular was claire-bear, and I am now an avid collector of bears. I also got from my friends……Is Claire there? When asking for me on the phone then they would always giggle, and say that ryhmes!! There are a million things that Ryhme with Claire, and Clara is not too far off……….love the name! I love C-Monkey, I had not gotten that before!
Paige says
CONGRATS! She’s just beautiful.
Tiffini S says
Awwww! Count me in on the diaper changes! I miss changing cute little diapers. Though, my son was a 10 pounder at birth, so his diapers were never that little, per se.
Dang it! Every time I see a cute baby, I rethink our ‘one child’ policy – which was our first step to greening our life. Then somedays I’m really, REALLY glad we only have one!
Hey, congrats, guys. She is awesome! Enjoy every minute! Even the sleepless ones.
cara says
She is just ADORABLE!! Congratulations!! My name is Cara, so when I was growing up a lot of people called me Carebear..ugh and then I would get all this carebear stuff all the time, not so cute..
PS. Where did you get that cute little outift??
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Carebear, I mean, Cara (sorry, couldn’t help myself – we did the same to my little sister Carrie):
In the photo Clara’s just wrapped in a cute, striped happygreenbee swaddling blanket and a blue hat (not sure where that came from). Both were gifts I believe, so unfortunately can’t point you in the right direction on where to snag ’em. Hope that helps!
-John
Inês Amaro says
Hi, Sherry,John, Clara and Burger,
So Happy for you guys!
Clara is beautifull!
I got the date right and I said May 14th, because it was a new moon, and because my nephew was also born in a new moon, I thought it would apply.
Nature speaks louder and I believe that a moon cycle influence us as well as tydes and animal behaviour are concerned.
So again I welcome Little beautifull Clara(in portuguese it means Clarity or somekind of light that shines bright) and I wish you two the best!
Kisses
Inês Amaro
Emily D. says
Oh she is so beautiful! Congratulations mom and dad :)
And way to go Sue, you’re like magic, enjoy your winnings!
Amanda says
Hey Sherry & John, so I was reading through your comments and so many people want to have you do Clara posts, thought it would be a cute idea to have Burger (on his blog) post about her. THAN I saw Mandy comment that exact same thing — common name, common (and totally brilliant) thoughts! ;)
Also I think the Flickr idea would work too, all you’d have to do is link to it on your sideboard and presto — you’re done. Plus you can also write a little blurb on the photo as well. And your parents/family won’t miss a beat of Clara. (so I’m sure they’d thank you!)
Amanda says
That is such an adorable picture of Miss Clara!!!
Elizabeth says
Congrats on your new addition! I would also love to see baby updates–if you don’t want it to take over your blog, maybe like a once a week column. Things like tips for taking baby pictures, do you like your stroller/carrier, baby items you use frequently (which would help me buy baby gifts!), making baby food down the road, etc.
Andrea P says
Congrats to the winner! I am tres jealous, but sadly I picked today as the big day!
I gotta know…after all the worry, did you water break somewhere inconvenient??
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Andrea,
Actually my water didn’t break until I was at the hospital- and it was a good thing it didn’t because that’s actually when they saw a lot of blood and realized I was hemorrhaging due to the placenta separating from my uterus (which was putting Clara in some major distress). Within three dramatic and terrifying minutes from that moment, Clara was born via emergency c-section… which saved her life (and possibly mine as well). Talk about the scariest day of your life- but it was also the best day ever. We got our little miracle baby out of the deal!
xoxo,
s
Katie says
You are going to love that diaper sprayer once Clara starts on solids! We made a diy sprayer, they are a huge help. We have used cloth dipers since my son was born. I’m happy to read you made the decision to use cloth too. It’s so easy I wish more people would give it a try!
Congrats on your precious baby girl, she is beautiful!
Andrea P says
Thank you for the response….very terrifying, yet touching at the same time :)
Congratulations again on your bundle of joy…there’s nothing like it!
Laura says
Burger has his own blog…now Clara needs one too!
Amanda says
TOO PRECIOUS!!! I love her little blond eyelashes. I’ll help with diaper changes; I need the practice for my August-due-date baby. And I’m convenient! She’d only have to be in a dirty diaper for about an hour before I could be in Richmond, which is totally acceptable, right?
…..right?
hjc says
I was thinking that Clara’s little brow is all knit up like she is thinking of her first diy project…she’s adorable! And our first came via emergency c-section as well – have you ever seen so many people move so fast in your life? It’s amazing how good they (baby doctors and nurses) are at their jobs (and aren’t we thankful!).
Natalie says
Congrats! As a regular reader I can’t see why you can’t just add a weekly/fortnightly/monthly (whatever you prefer) post about Clara or anything baby related to the YHL blog. It is obvious from the response you have gotten that the majority of us are interested.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Natalie,
You’re right! It seems like a lot of commenters are interested in regular Clara updates. We just have to figure out what we’d like to do when it comes to sharing them. Lately we’ve been posting lots of “behind the scenes” photos of Clara over on our Facebook page, which has been quite a hit so perhaps we’ll continue that (with ps links at the end of posts to direct people over there). Home improvement and decorating are our true blogging passions (we never set out to be baby bloggers) so we also have to decide how much of our personal patenting journey we want to share with the world. Bear with us as we figure out the right balance that feels best to us!
xo,
s
Amanda W. says
Congrats on Clara! What a lovely name and I love how you incorporated all the different family member’s names into her name! I am happy for the two of you! Enjoy every minute and don’t forget to take LOTS of pics!
Thanks for making this post a highlight of my day! I’ve learned so much from the two of you!!
Beth H. says
Congrats on the arrival of your wee one! That is wonderful that you will be cloth diapering as well, I am still CD’ing my youngest (17 months) and I wish I had done it with my older son as well.
I just discovered your blog and it is fabulous. We are currently house hunting, it is a scary process but your tips are great to keep in mind!
Meagan Francis says
Oooh! I’ve been reading for a while, but this is my first comment. Just had to come out of lurkdom to say CONGRATS and to say “good job” on the name…from one mom of a Clara to another!
Janny A. says
I told my kids the other day:”The Petersiks had their baby!” they all went:”Yeah” My husband looks at me and says: “Who are they?”(I have told him about you guys many times!)”Are they those people you don’t know?
I just think it’s funny that my kids and I feel like your family or something, it’s kind of odd but we are sincerely happy for Clara’s birth and for you becoming parents! She is beautiful!! and yes I would also like to see more pictures of her!!!
Tracy says
I have been reading through some of the comments and it sounds like everyone is interested in the baby updates, cloth diapering, etc. I know you are concerned with it bothering those that are working on their houses, but most of us are parents or parents-to-be that feel we are in the same boat. We are trying to save money and we love your ideas…however, we are just as in love with cute little babies too! So I hope this has helped convinced you all to include fun additions about the growing family! I am expecting in September with my first and I have already asked you all questions about cloth diapering. So I want to add my interest specifically in that post!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Tracy,
You’re right, it seems like a lot of commenters are interested in regular Clara updates. We just have to figure out what we’d like to do when it comes to sharing them (and how much personal stuff we truly want to share). Lately we’ve been posting lots of “behind the scenes” photos of Clara over on our Facebook page, which has been quite a hit so perhaps we’ll continue that (with ps links at the end of posts to direct people over there). Home improvement and decorating are our true blogging passions (we never set out to be baby bloggers) so we also have to decide how much of our personal patenting journey we want to put out there for the world- we want to enjoy our baby girl and we’re not sure how much of her life we want to broadcast at this point. Bear with us as we find a balance that feels best to us!
xo,
s
Linda says
I think besides regular Clara updates, I would be great to hear about your birth story — when you have time to tell it since your hands are pretty full at the moment. :)
Like you John, I believe I picked May 15th because my birthday also falls on the 15th of another month so I like the number, lol.
I have one somewhat random question, if you don’t mind answering, has Clara had any problems with jaundice?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Linda,
Nope, thankfully no problems with jaundice. And as for the whole birth story, it can be summarized as this:
I noticed on Friday morning that I was having some pretty intense contractions and by the time I started timing them they were four minutes apart. I called John who was out to lunch with all of his advertising coworkers to celebrate his last day and told him to get home fast! By the time we got to the hospital my contractions were already two minutes apart and they sent me straight into labor and delivery. As we waited for the doctor to arrive and check my progress (I was already 3.5 cms dilated and 80% effaced at my last appointment) my water broke in the hospital bed- but instead of being clear it was bright red. So much blood. Very scary.
Immediately the room filled with frenzied nurses and doctors and they explained that I was having a placental abruption, which happens when the placenta inexplicably detaches from the uterine wall before the baby is born. This is extremely dangerous for the baby (since they get their oxygen/nourishment from the placenta) and the mother can hemorrhage so it’s a pretty dire situation all around. Within about a minute they had me in the OR and within three minutes they had my sweet baby out thanks to an emergency c-section. They saved her life by acting so fast.
Once they got in there they saw that not only was she in distress from the placental abruption, but the umbilical cord had somehow gotten pinched below her head when my water broke so she was struggling to get oxygen from that as well. Basically it was the scariest day of our life, but we are SO THANKFUL that the doctors and nurses worked so quickly to come to our rescue. We feel so blessed to be home together enjoying each others company! And John even got to be in the OR (in full body scrubs of course) since they worked fast enough to be sure he was there to hold my hand. Thank goodness. I couldn’t have done it without him.
The recovery is cake compared to the scare she gave us. We’re practically floating on air because other nurses and doctors in the hospital dropped in to see us for days just to tell us how lucky we were (they heard our story and were so glad that it had a happy ending). But no one is more glad than we are! So that’s the story of the scariest/best day of our lives. Whew.
xo,
s
Linda says
Wow, that’s incredible and I’m so glad the medical staff was so on top of everything and that you and the baby are healthy and happy after all that scariness! Thanks so much for sharing your story!
Sunny's Life in Rehab says
I’d change her diaper for you. I happen to lurv tiny newborn squushie mushie tushies. That must be why I had three. I’m glad everything turned out okay, and seriously, post more pics. She’s just too cute!
Donald Urquhart says
Congratulations on the new baby! Good job on going the cloth diaper route. I’m assuming you’re going the breastfeeding route as well? Cloth diapers really aren’t anywhere near the trouble that most people think. They’re also eco-friendlier and cheaper, both important considerations in the modern era. I hope she grows up to be a wonderful person that you can be proud of.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, nursing has been going really well! I worried that it might be difficult but Clara is a great little eater! She’s just the best baby ever.
xo,
s
Natalie says
Your’re right Sherry. I keep my blog private so my child isn’t on show for the whole world to see. I can really understand if you don’t want to share Clara at all. You will have to find a balance that you feel comfortable with. Best wishes.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for understanding Natalie! We definitely want to share photos and tidbits about Clara (which we’ve done a few times on YHL in the week that she’s been born, as well as a lot more on Facebook) but we never set out to chronicle her life (or very much of ours beyond our home improvements, tutorials and the amazing makeovers that other readers have achieved). So just like we only cover a percentage of our personal lives here on YHL, we’re thinking the combination of the occasional Clara tidbit over here along with more photos and info via Facebook sounds right to us- at least for now while she’s still a newborn. Plus maybe we’ll create a little flickr photo gallery where people can stop in to see the latest Clara pics as she grows!
xo,
s
Olga_Ukraine says
Congratulations!!!so beautiful girl!)))
Josephine says
Hi there John, Sherry and Clara! Just wanted to say a huge congratulations to you all! I check in on your blog every week, and your relentless enthusiasm and great ideas never fail to impress.
Incidently, I welcomed my own first bundle of (boy) joy on the very same day Clara made her dramatic entrance into the world. Sherry, our due dates were identical, and I was always curious to see if we’d give birth on the same day ;) What a wild ride, eh? All the best to you during this rollercoaster time!
YoungHouseLove says
No way! That’s so funny. Good luck with your little one!
xo,
s
steph says
Congrats to you both!! I have been a fan of YHL since late last year when a google search for wedding tips brought me to your site and I love everything I see!
I’ve got the decorating bug (but no house yet ;) haha) and can’t wait for the opportunity to try a few out :)
Just a shame that I’m in Australia and we don’t have the same stores, ah well I’ll just have to go on long shopping trips ;)
Sue says
She’s beautiful! Congratulations to all! Clara shares her birthday with my lovely daughter Kathryn, who just turned 22. Enjoy the years to come!
Natalie says
Congratulations!! I stumbled across your blog a few days ago but I keep coming back to see that picture. Cutest. Child. Ever.
Leah says
Congratulations! I had some scary birth moments last Feb. I’m so glad everyone is healthy, I had goosebumps reading your birth story. /hugs
Good birth day, btw. My Zach shares it :)
If I may make a suggestion, I would have baby tidbits be her involvement (read: cute motivation) in your projects. After all, I’m sure she already loves what she’s seen of her happy home. Soon we’ll have a picture of her crawling across your latest rug!
I have to ask, has she noticed your mobile? It turned out so well~
YoungHouseLove says
We’re not sure if her little eyes can focus that far away yet (the mobile orbs are about two feet above the changing table pad) but she does gaze up at them as if she can see ’em. Her favorite thing is the chandelier though- what is it about ceiling lights that babies adore? So cute.
xo,
s