Our Lil' Trooper Endures Her Shots

Another adventure in pediatric medicine for Claire today! Poor kid, it's bad enough to get poked with a needle and not know why, but today they had to take her temperature to make sure she was healthy before administering the Hib shot. She looked just like this:



Claire requested the thermometer be put under her tongue.
No said the meanie nurse.
Well what about my ear?
No said the meanie nurse.
How about my forhead?
No said the meanie nurse.

Drop your drawers and quite stalling kid!

So after two shots and a weigh in (14 pounds!) we headed back home. Claire has run some great fevers after her previous vacciniations so I'm just waiting around for them to start up. In the meantime, here's a pic of her from this morning BEFORE our visit.

Ha! Hee! ACHOO!

Funny thing about changing your kid's diapers - it's always an adventure! There have been some interesting discoveries in Claire's nappies - the raisin that escaped my salad fork, bits of hair the cats donate, and today a sneeze was unearthed!

Well, not really. But I needed a funny opener to tell the story. Usually, I rope Dan into changing Claire before he leaves for work. After nursing her throughout the night I'm usually a little dopey. She's been sleeping through the night the past few days so I've been on AM diaper duty. This morning we're enjoying a little bit of naked time, giving her bum some fresh air. Mind you, the diaper IS underneath her just in case a little something leaks out, I've learned my lesson about that! Next thing I know, Claire's nose starts wiggling and she lets out this explosive sneeze and pees all over me. She totally shot past the diaper and got my pant leg.

I swear the kid was laughing at me...

White Meat or Dark Meat?

White meat or dark? Do you have a preference? Claire certainly does. Here's a funny sequence of her chomping on the legs of her bug toy. But lately, the thing she's most interested in is chewing on is her own hands. Thank goodness! If you recall there was time when she preferred her mother's forearm.


Claire's newest trick seems to be "gathering." She reaches for things with both her hands in an attempt to "scoop" the item towards her mouth. More often than not she misses and winds up with a mouthful of fist...which seems to suit her fine anyway.

Claire still hasn't rolled over, but she manages to scoot off her playmat all the time. She bends her knees and then puuuushes. Sort of like a crawl while on her back. It's not the most elegant mode of transportation, but it gets the job done.

It's been dinner for three at our house the past few nights. We've brought Claire's high chair out of the attic and she enjoys sitting in it and watching us eat. I even gave her a baby spoon to play with last night. Another few months and she'll be eating with us, but for now baby, you'll have to live on "milkshakes." Besides, with all the insect protein she's getting from her bug, what more could she need?

Smiles for Mommy

When it's warm outside (and I define that as over 32 degrees) I strap Claire into the bjorn and trek to the mailbox with her for a little fresh air and exercise. I know you Long Islanders must be laughing because your mailbox is ON your house, but mine is a block away and is down a HUGE hill. I'm not exaggerating...it must be a 20 degree incline and when you walk back up, the incline morphs to 45 degrees somehow. Anyway, Claire usually sleeps through our outing but last week she woke up and was smiling and smiling and smiling. It was so cute I tried to snap a few pictures in the mirror when I got home. Who loves their Mommy?!

"Where are her socks?!" And other musings of the Greats...

I know I'm late posting this, the masses (especially my sisters) are screaming for new updates and photos.

This weekend we made the trek to Long Island to visit with the Greats. Amongst the comments of how cute, smart, strong and beautifully dimpled Claire was, Nan and Pop managed to sneak in a few tidbits about how COLD this baby must be!

"Where are her socks?"
"Doesn't she wear a hat? Babies should wear a hat inside too!"
"Turn up her sleeves, they're wet and she'll catch pneumonia."
"Isn't she hungry? She only drinks milk!"

Mind you, their heat is set to 75 and this baby is sweating! I spared Nan the drama by keeping Claire dressed, but we sure did have a good time teasing her (Claire likes to go outside after a bath and feel the ice in her head!).

You should have seen the look on my grandfather's face when I took the baby's socks off for the jumpster...not quite as eye bulging as when I set the jumpster up on the molding, but amusing nonetheless. It took them a loooong time to relax after Claire started bouncing...but pretty soon out came the video camera and the encouragement to bounce more.

By the way, if you visit them expect to see this video. They've shown it to everyone who has even come near their front door in the past few days.

We had such a nice visit and Claire really hammed it up for her great-grandparents. I must make it a point to mail them more photos - the Claire shrine is looking a little sparse. Ha!

There are a few more cute photos in the original album found here. Enjoy!

Read my butt!

Bounce Baby, Bounce!

For a while now Claire has been pushing up on our legs trying to "walk." Every time she stands, she gets this goofy grin on her face. Since her head control seems really strong, I put her in her jumpster and it's apparent that Claire LOVES it. I guess it's so long to the days of her peacefully cooing at her reflection in the swing...and hello to bouncing!

Here's a few more pics of Claire in the jumpster and the originals are here.

Chow Time!

Sorry the blog hasn't been updated in a while, our kitty Jack died Monday morning and obviously I havne't been in the best mood. Thank goodness Claire is around to cheer up her parents!

Here's a short video of Claire chowing down on her bug toy. I think because of its crinkly wings and flower petals Claire finds it irresistible. Raymond, the fatty, doesn't seem too impressed with her meal.

Delicious Dimple

I love seeing Claire's dimple when she's not even smiling. I think she looks like such a big kid in this picture, I'm not sure why though...maybe the expression in her eyes?

Upside Down Claire!

\

There was a crazy sale on wipes and I had a ton of coupons...Claire is in front of our loot...much of which wound up to be free. We will not need wipes for a looooong time. I had to make some room in the attic to store all these tubs!

Claire and "Birdie"

Some of you might recognize this gesture as the "Jersey Salute."

Splish Splash I Was Takin' A Bath!

These are the first pics of Claire taking a bath. If you recall she wasn't too fond of them at first...now she kicks her feet and squeals with delight! If only I could get her to open up her little fists, the "gunk" in there is pretty impressive for a kid who doesn't play in the dirt yet.

There is something I am concerned about, I just can't think of what it is. Oh! I was wondering if I could blow an impressive amount of spit bubbles while on my back.

Phew! I can. Count 'em baby, I'm the master!



- Claire

These are a few of her favorite things...

Sorry about the title, The Sound of Music was recently on TV. Dan bought a few new bird feeders and Claire and I have been enjoying our critter friends. These were shot through our living room window and I have to say, nursing her while watching all the birds chow down has been great. Of course our resident squirrel thinks the suet feeder belongs to him. Cheeky fellow...Claire will teach him a lesson when she's big enough.

Here is the aftermath of Sunday's "naked time." That's not water! I guess that's the risk you take when you take a baby's diaper off. Claire hasn't rolled over yet but it looks like she's getting ready to crawl away in this picture. That behind is begging for a nibble, don't you think?

Naked Time!

The Sleep Sequence and Claire's Newest Friends

With the craziness of the holidays past, I figured it was time for some updates! I enjoyed everyone's feedback at all the gatherings the past week and I'm so happy to hear that everyone is getting as much of a kick out of this blog as I am!

Claire was great with meeting so many new friends and relatives. There were a lot of "pass the baby" games and she didn't seem to mind whose arms she was in.

I'm sure in 9 months during the "stranger danger" phase we'll be longing for the early days where a warm body (ANY warm body) served her napping needs.

Claire is still a little drool machine and really needs to wear a bib at all times. I'm enjoying the bubbles she makes, it seems she can get almost ten on her lips at once. Here's a funny photo of her slobbering over her own reflection. Girls...they just can't get enough of themselves. :-)