Claire's First Christmas

Claire's first Christmas was probably more fun for us than for her - but she has many Christmases to turn the tables. My brother-in-law took these pictures - his turned out much better than mine.



I love this picture of Megan with Claire!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Cuteness

Here are a few pictures of our little friend who "kind of" learned how to sit up.

Hope everyone is staying warm and enjoying the holidays.

Sweet Potato

Here's Claire's photo shoot from her first forray into something other than rice cereal. She liked it!

Bath Time

Claire's almost getting too big for her baby tub... we may have to graduate to the big bathtub one of these days.

6 Month Checkup

I'll work on getting a new picture up this weekend, but thought I'd just share with you that Claire went to the doctor today for her 6 month check up. She weighs 15 lbs 1 oz and is 25 1/2 inches long. Her weight is still right around the 25th percentile, though her height is now nearer to the 50th percentile (I don't think she's going to be tall, I just think she was less wiggly today than at the last visit, so it's maybe a better measurement). She got her shots, which she did not enjoy... but also got the green light to start eating other foods... so she'll be happy about that.

I think sweet potatoes may be first on her menu... but we'll see.

'Tis the Season

To dress up babies in funny hats. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Great Houdini

Just a story for you today - though I wish I had thought to take a picture. When Claire wakes up in the morning, she's normally a very happy girl. She usually lays in her crib and talks to herself (at increasing volumes) until I go in and get her. Today, the volumes increased rapidly and when I went in to get her, I could see why - she was cold! She had somehow wriggled out of her Swaddleme and her pjs. She was laying in nothing but her diaper (fortunately, she didn't figure out how to get out of that). I would have loved some time-lapse photos of Claire figuring out how to free herself of the straitjacket that is her Swaddleme and jammies. I'm sure this is just the first of many acts of mischief I will report.

Girl in Pink Hats

Anyone wonder what Jeff would look like in a pink hat? Wonder no more.

5 Months Old (Tomorrow)

How can you not love that face? This was the smile I got when we put her in her high chair for the first time - she just knew that something good was about to happen. She seemed to really like eating rice cereal. She was fascinated with the little spoon - watched it from the moment it left her mouth to the moment it returned. Her little tongue was very busy flicking in and out of her mouth like a snake to make sure that all of the cereal on her face ended up in her mouth.

So far, she's proving to be a good eater - we'll have to see what happens when she gets to eat green beans.

Warning: Do Not Try This At Home

Look what Claire can do! She's giving us loud signs that she's ready for solids - she's eating her toes.

Now the truth is out

We all thought that Lauren took care of Claire during the day... well now we know the truth. It's really Timmy that takes such good care of Claire while I'm at work.

4 Month Visit

So... Claire went to the doctor on 10/6 for her 4 month check up... yes, it took me 3 weeks to post the results. She was 12 lbs 10 oz and 25 3/4 inches long. She's still in the 25th percentile for things... she's small, but at least proportional. The doctor wanted to see her on her tummy to see how she holds her head. Claire is such a show-off, she tried to roll off the exam table while she demonstrated her great head holding skills.

The doctor cheerfully told me that we should expect her to get 6 - 7 colds this winter. Not liking that idea...

No solids yet... when you see the speed with which she finishes a bottle, I can't imagine what she will look like when we start giving her cereal. She's a voracious eater, that one.

It's the Great Pumpkin, CB

Of course, CB refers to Clarabelle (not Charlie Brown). Claire visited a pumpkin patch today with Big Old. We left with 2 pumpkins and 2 muddy knees (Big Old's not Claire's.)

Curiouser and curiouser...

Tonight when I was putting Claire to bed she asked me who reads her blog... since I'm not sure, I was wondering if you would do us the favor of leaving a comment so that we can tell Claire about all of her fans. Thanks! Have a good week.

Put Me in Coach!

We thought maybe the Cubs needed some reinforcements... she's only 4 months, but she's got a really strong grip - there would be no dropped balls from this one.

Claire's Baptism

Yesterday was Claire's Baptism. It was also the first time that Jeff's grandma got to meet her great granddaughter. We were so happy to have our families come for Claire's special day (the first of many celebrations we hope to have in Claire's honor!).

3 Months

Look at the difference from when she was just a few days old and when she was 3 months old!

Sitting Up

Claire is getting really good at holding her head up and can sit for a few minutes when propped up. We figure it is only a matter of time before she's doing cartwheels.

Claire... relaxing

Well... really, what else does she do? This picture is a week or so old, but I think it's cute. We've been really busy. I go back to work right after Labor Day, so we're rushing to squeeze in as much time together as we can.

Guess Who Can Roll Over?

Well... I suppose you don't need more than one guess. Yesterday, when Claire got up from her nap, we were playing in her crib. She's not a big fan of being on her stomach when on the floor, but likes it better in her crib. I put her on her stomach and she pushed herself up on her arms and then I think the weight of that big noggin just pulled her over to her back. The first time she did it, she looked up at me with a look of complete astonishment. I flipped her back to her stomach and she rolled right over to her back. I took her downstairs and tried to film her rolling over, but she was too speedy for me. I couldn't put her down and pick up the camera before she would already be on her back. We'll have to try it this weekend when we have 4 hands instead of my 2.

She seems like a different little girl this week. She actually likes to sit by herself in things when she's awake - and she let me get my hair cut yesterday sitting like an angel for two hours in her carseat. Before long, I'll be talking about her crawling and walking, but for now, I think it's pretty neat to watch her roll over.

Big Girl

When Claire went to the doctor for her 2-month checkup, we found out that she's 9 lbs 12 oz... we knew that she was getting bigger since some of her clothes were getting a little snug, but it was good to hear the "official" news.

Visitors from Wisconsin

This past weekend, Claire's cousins, Hannah and Giselle came for a visit. We all had fun (and it was nice to see Kurt and Jennie too!).

Now that's interesting!

Claire has started showing interest in things besides being held which is very exciting for us (and probably pretty exciting for her too). In this picture she was playing peekaboo with Jeff (or maybe I should say that she was watching Jeff play peekaboo with himself).

Time Flies

Hard to believe that Claire is 7 weeks old. On the one hand, we can't remember the pre-Claire days, but on the other hand, it's gone so fast. I remember reading about how babies start smiling for real around 6 weeks - and then I remember thinking how far away 6 weeks seemed...

Motley Crew

Today, Claire went to Cantigny Park with her cousins. She had alot of fun (but will have to wait until next year to climb on the tanks!).

First (Documented) Smile

This is not the best picture of Claire, but you can see her first photographed smile. And note the multiple chins... she really is growing!

Tummy Time

Now that Claire can lift her head with only a small risk of it crashing down, I put her on her tummy to play - here are some pictures.

Happy 4th of July!

A rare picture of all three of us (mainly me and Claire) with our eyes kind of open. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

First Bath

Here's a picture from Claire's first bath a few days ago. Given her reaction to the sponge baths we'd been giving her, we were a little nervous about her reaction to the real thing. No need for worries, though, she seemed to like it.

Over-achiever!

Today, we went back to the doctor to have Claire weighed. They wanted to see her back at her birth weight. Our little butterfly is tipping the scales at 7lbs 2oz - 3 oz over her birth weight!

As you can see in this picture, she tries to eat everything - her hand, her clothes, her pacifier... no wonder she's gaining weight!

She's Just So Little

Here's a couple more pictures for Claire's adoring fans. We're constantly amazed at just how little she is!

Happy Father's Day

Although Claire was "supposed" to be born on Father's Day, we're really happy that she's given us a little extra time with her.

Close Up

Here are some close-ups of our little friend.

Coming Home

Claire's trip home was uneventful, but very happy. We were really excited to get out of the hospital and home.

My Hospital Visitors

So far, Claire has gotten to meet lots of doctors and nurses, her parents, but most important, she met her grandparents and one of her uncles. Many more people to meet!