Ouch!

Claire rests up for the Viking game yesterday. Too bad she didn't get to see a win.

Claire headed in for her 4 mos check up this morning. She received her next round of shots and this time wasn't as easily quieted. She was mad and let mom know it for a good 10 minutes. Whew. She weighed in at 11 lbs 13 oz and 23 1/2 inches. She is doing really well and her doctor is very pleased with her progress. On some levels she acts like the 4 month old she is (sleeping) while on others she is more like a 2 month old (hand coordination). Like her dad said, she seems to have taken things to a new level last week. She likes spending time on her belly, showing off how high she can lift herself. She has also made an effort to control her hand while grabbing her keys and does the same when she sits in her kick & play with her spinner. Claire laughs at her friend wormy.

Claire attended her first Gopher football game on Saturday. Despite the loss, she seemed to take it in stride. When we first arrived she was overwhelmed by the noise and sights so she went right to sleep. After a bit she woke up and she and mom went to the ladies room for a little more quiet space to eat and get changed. After that she was awake and looking around, taking it all in. She handled the train ride really well, looked outside for most of the trip watching the landscape fly by.
Claire relaxes with dad after the Gopher loss on Saturday.

Claire spent Thursday with Jordan as Jordan was off school for MEA. Big sister was in charge (while dad worked downstairs) feeding, changing and entertaining. Mom is really glad they got to spend some time together just the two of them. According to dad, so was Jordan as she has to 'share' Claire with other family members when the extended family gets together.

4 Months Old

Claire showing dad how well she can lift her head during tummy time.

We can't quite believe it but Claire is 4 months old today. Time seems to be flying by.

After a couple of nights of waking in the middle of the night Claire has once again taken to sleeping for long stretches. Claire was waking up not because of hunger but because she would scoot herself out from underneath the blanket. Once we figured out that the sleep sack is the ticket we were back in business. And mom promptly went to buy a couple more!

To ring in her 4 month birthday Claire moved into the next diaper size. She is now wearing #2 diapers. We put away more clothing this week - seems like each week she is growing out of one or two items.

Last weekend mom and Claire headed to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch with cousins Ryan and Alex and Aunt Karey. It was a very hot day but Claire seemed to enjoy being out of the stroller as we walked around the corn maze. However, when it came to picture time she was ready for a nap.

Alex shaded Claire's eyes without any prompting from us. Such a smart cookie - making sure his little cousin is OK.

Claire's Smiles

With all the sleep Claire has been getting she has been very smiley.


Earlier this week she moved from the small bucket we were using for her baths to the larger one we can put in the tub. After her bath in the 'big girl' tub
Claire under her activity gym. Smiling at Mr. Smiley

Her father's genes

Apparently Claire got her father's genes when it comes to sleeping. She has slept 8+ hours in a row the last three nights. We thought it might have been because we wrapped her up like a burrito in her blanket the first two nights but let her 'free' last night and she still slept for nearly 9 hours.

We didn't expect this until much later in her first year (mom thought it would be closer to 8 months based on her gestational age). We realize this will likely come to an end in the not too distant future as she ramps up her eating again for the next growth spurt. However, for the time being, we will enjoy it. She wakes up smiling and cooing - well rested with a VERY wet diaper. The folks who make infant diapers don't expect babes to sleep through the night.

Claire continues to show off her skills. She can now hold her head up on her own and doesn't lose control as much as she used to. She also has gotten a handle on her 'spinner' on her bouncy chair. This toy came from a friend and we strapped it onto the chair so she could work on her motor skills while hanging out in her chair. She whips that baby around sometimes!

Her favorite 'toy' is now her activity gym. Not because of the many toys that surround her but because of the smiley face at the top of the gym. We place Claire on her back, turn on the music and watch her face light up when she sees Mr. Smiley. She talks to him too. Just cracks up mom & dad.