Da-da-da-da

Claire continues to amaze mom & dad every week with new sounds and other developments. The last few days she has begun saying da-da-da-da (mostly when getting her diaper changed so we assume this isn't actually associated with her dad) and ga-ga-ga. No ma-ma yet but mom is working on those 'm' sounds. 

She has also started to grab onto and move her bottle to her mouth. She will hold onto it for a while but seems to get bored with it and wants to do something else with her hands. She now eats some fruits (apricots and apples, pears and some banana) but still prefers her veggies and just plain cereal. 

We're going to start ramping up her solids and start giving her foods twice a day to help stretch out her milk and introduce her to more flavors. 

New Pictures!

Claire gets ready to eat dinner. Grabbed her fork and said "I'm ready!!"

Claire taking a stroll in her walker.

Storing some food in her cheeks.

Racing across the carpet in her walker.

Spending some time with her puppy dog from big sister Jordan.

8 months

Claire hit the big 8 month mark on Valentine's day. She celebrated by spending the day with Grandma Jackie (thanks Grandma!). 

Claire continues to grow and pack on weight. She is getting some serious arm folds around her wrists. Unfortunately, she recently decided that she no longer liked bath time and has been very adamant about her lack of desire for this event. She nearly flipped herself over in the tub. This makes getting into those folds a wee bit more difficult. Needless to say by the time bath is over she is wiped out from all of her crying and screaming. Oh what fun! 

She loves to grab everything she can get her hands on and mom and dad are prepping the house for when she becomes mobile. 

Mom and dad have learned that Claire lacks a sweet tooth. We have tried to feed her bananas, pears and apples but she will have none of it and reacts like she did to the peas. She still loves her carrots, sweet potatoes and cereal. Mom and dad have secretly snuck in some pear into her cereal the last couple of nights, hoping  'ease' her into fruits. So far she hasn't caught onto the plan.

More images to come - blogger doesn't seem to want to upload images this morning! 

Sitting pretty

Claire models her one-of-a-kind onesie from Auntie Kim D.
Claire 'reads' her baby book.
Chubby toes.


Claire continues to master the art of sitting on her own. She can go for what mom & dad consider to be fairly long stretches (20 minutes) as long as someone is in front of her for entertainment purposes.

Claire and mom had a girls weekend while dad was off playing in the snow. Trips to Coffee Club, a visit with cousins Alex and Ryan and brunch got Claire and mom out of the house. Sunday afternoon Claire began to exhibit some not so typical behavior and mom and dad are trying to determine if she may be experiencing the first signs of cutting teeth. We haven't seen anything that looks like a tooth (or inflamed gums) but we know that the pain can start much earlier than any visual indication.

The milk supply is slowly dwindling and we have started to introduce formula. We still had formula that we paid for (read insurance paid for!) the hospital gave us when we left the NICU and hope that the milk supply will make it for another 10 days or so. The formula we are using is the preemie stuff which is loaded with additional calorie building ingredients so Claire is packing on the weight. Seriously.

Look Ma. No Hands

Claire's big feat for the week was finally sitting up by herself for a few minutes at a time. Early in the week she would sit on her own without for a short period of time and would still 'push back' onto whomever was behind her. By mid week she was adjusting on her own and shifting her weight and could sit out on her own facing whomever was playing. She really enjoys toppling her blocks and will do this for quite some time while giggling like a mad babe. She also enjoys playing with her feet and hitting her bongos. She has had a couple spills so we have taken to putting a blanket or other cushion behind her to lessen the impact. As long as we still cheer and make her think it is part of the game she hasn't had any major meltdowns.

She still hasn't mastered rolling from her back to her stomach. She can do it off her changing pad but doesn't really get into it when she is flat on the floor. She has rolled onto her back several times from her tummy and does it rather quickly as she seems to have shifted gears and changed her mind about how much she likes her belly. Lately this position has caused many tears and cries of frustration. Little does she realize that if she can get stronger here she will go far!

She headed to the doctor on Friday for a quick check up as she and mom have been battling yet another cold. Clear lungs and ears and no cough so the doctor said antibiotics will do her no good. The doctor thought there might be the possibility she has allergies but they won't do any testing until she is a least a year old. Claire weighed in at 15 lbs 8 oz and measured 26 inches! Since her last check up in early Jan she has gained 1 pound and added 2 inches. Most all of the 3-6 month clothing has been put away and she is finally moving into the 6-9 month stuff. Right on target for her gestational age.

Her latest funny habit is to take one of her rings and hold it in her mouth without using her hands. She looks hilarious and we think has caught on that it makes mom, dad and Jordan crack up. She even leans forward when you hand her a ring and opens her mouth expecting you to put the ring in for her. Then she sits back and grins. When she has the ring in her mouth and her bottom lip stuck out she reminds mom of Grandpa Irv McMahon.

Staying warm

Claire after eating 7.5 ounces. Man am I full!
Claire in her exersaucer.

Claire is staying inside this weekend! With temps that barely make it to 0' she has decided it just doesn't sound like fun going out in that cold. Smart girl.

She did venture out on Friday in the freezing weather for a visit to one of Maplewood's fire stations. Mom & dad took the opportunity to have the car seat checked out for safety. Turns out we weren't installing it 100% correctly and mom is going to get the other base. This is a wonderful, free service that most communities offer and Claire says all her friends parents should go and have their car seats checked.

Claire is still battling a cold. We're not sure if it the same one or yet another one (this would be #3). She is still eating well but is congested and sneezing more again. She's had a cold since the beginning of December and mom is hoping this isn't what Claire will deal with every winter. Yikes.

Claire got a new toy last week. Dad went to Once Upon a Child and picked up a walker. No pictures to post yet but you can bet we will get some soon. She really likes this option as it allows her to cruise across the hardwood floor in the kitchen. She has also taken to 'walking' while mom/dad are behind her supporting her by her arms. She actually puts one foot in front of the other! She still doesn't like sitting and hates belly time. Her favorite thing to do is to sit and then pull herself up to standing with mom/dad holding her hands.

Holiday Wrap-Up

Sorry for not posting in a couple weeks. The holiday season went fast and furious. Claire saw many family members and enjoyed time at both sets of grandparents homes, watching her cousins run around and listening to all the chatter. She slept through all of the gift openings but still managed to see much of the fun. The parties wiped her out and she had a couple of rough days recovering from all the activity.

NYE Claire headed to a party with mom & dad. She had trouble getting down to sleep due to the sensory overload and not being at home but went down hard when she crashed. Mom & dad learned that Claire doesn't transfer out of her car seat while in a deep sleep. Mom's NYE didn't end until 2:30 am NY morning! As a result, both mom & Claire are battling some tough head colds.

Ms. Claire is still eating solids at least once a day. She enjoys sweet potatoes but doesn't appreciate the peas. We'll try again in another week and see if that makes a difference.

Claire models her holiday outfit for her 6 month photos.