We hit a small but strange milestone on Wednesday: seven months in this house that no longer feels “new.” Once we did the math, we realized something else — Clara has now spent more of her life here than she did in our first home.
We always expected our original house would be a hazy memory for Clara, but reaching this point makes it feel real. That first house was more than just an address for us — it was where we poured hours of renovation and care for over four and a half years. It served as our wedding venue, our testing ground for DIY projects, the spark that led us to start this blog, and the place where we first brought our baby home from the hospital. It meant a great deal to Sherry and me. Still, to Clara, it’s already becoming “that place I lived when I was a baby.” Bittersweet, but we’re grateful for the memories and the projects that grew out of that time.
Here’s a snapshot of Clara at almost seven months, taking in her new room on moving day — a small, quiet moment that now feels like the start of everyday life in this house.
And here she is more than seven months later — growing so fast, still with just a few wisps of hair but getting more expressive every day.
We’re relieved that both Clara and our dog Burger adapted so well to the new place. Moving can be stressful for the whole family, but they made the transition smoother than we expected. As for us, we’ve come to love this house. It’s interesting to think about how a home that once held so much meaning for us will eventually be only a faint memory for her. Fortunately, she’ll have plenty of photos and videos that capture these early months so she can look back — and so we can keep sharing the story of this house and this stage of our lives.
Do you have a childhood home that you remember only a little? For many people, photos and family stories do most of the work in keeping those memories alive. I lived in the same house for my whole childhood, so my memories are fairly steady, but Sherry moved several times and often recalls just a handful of vivid details — like the drop ceiling in her first basement that the kids would “accidentally” break. At least Clara’s first house won’t include any intentionally broken ceilings — unless you count the countless DIY projects she witnessed as she watched us work.
Update — we just took Clara’s monthly photo. You can see the progress in her weekly photo project. She’s starting to use a walker!