Lena started clapping, and will even (sometimes) clap on cue if we clap first, or if we say “yay!”
She also loves pointing at things and saying “DA!” as if she is bringing something very important to our attention. In my eyes, this makes her seem very advanced for her age. She is communicating with us in a way besides crying, which is great.
Similar to clapping, Lena will also mimick other things that we do, like kissing.
smiles a lot
sleep training. it’s easy to joke about how little sleep we’ve gotten (particularly how little sleep Chelsea has gotten), but it can be genuinely frustrating and emotionally exhausting in the moment.
Chelsea wrote this poem about our experiences in 2019. We mailed this out to around 50 different addresses, comprised of family and friends.
In the Cravens family, ‘tis tradition to send
Poetry of happenings to family and friends.
We are adults now, we cannot deny
So it is time for us to give our own writing a tryOn April twelve a sweet baby girl
Came into our lives, and brightened our world.
8 pounds 8 ounces, Miss Lena Saoirse.
(For those of you wondering, it rhymes with “inertia”)For the 4th of July we took a trip to Colorado
With all the blowouts and tears, it required much bravado.
First Denver with Jim and Val, a beautiful park to explore,
Then to Sedalia with Roy and Janet, delicious food galore.After a stop on the farm, up to Michigan we went
For fun with the family, and camping in a tent!
Dylan was initiated in the cold, Boardman River
The first trip was cool, but the second made us shiver!When back to the classroom Chelsea had to go,
Lena’s daycare spot wasn’t quite ready, oh no!
But Kathy, John, then Patty each came prepared,
And tried their hand at grandparent daycare.For two plants now Dylan is lead engineer,
And his Ukulele tunes, Lena loves to hear.
Between Shakespeare in Love and Holiday Lights,
Dylan keeps up with his trumpeting delights.In November Lena had her first chance to fly
To see family in Cleveland, Chardon, and Pittsburg – oh my!
At Ben and Tara’s wedding, we hit the dance floor.
The time flew by quickly, we always wish we had more!We like Lenexa, our new-found home.
Come for a visit! You are always wel-comb (?)
As we decorate the house in Christmas Cheer,
We wish you Wonderous Holidays and a Fantastic New Year!