Just Being Cute

Our Little Cub

Grannie Beth and Grandpa Brian sent Claire an adorable winter hat. She gladly modeled it for us.

Hugging Daddy's face.

More nap-time photos at 217 Prospect St.

5 Months Old....Yesterday

Claire turned five months old yesterday. Thinking back on her fifth month, Andrew and I have found that it has been the most difficult so far. This may come as a surprise, so let me explain. As a newborn, Claire was not your typical baby. She slept 10 hours (and 12 every now and then) at a time at night, so we never had to do the traditional late-night feedings. We would put her to bed between 8:30 and 10pm, and she wouldn't make a noise until 7am at the earliest! Well, in her fifth month that all changed. She spent several nights waking up at 1:30am, 3:30am, then again at 6:30am hungry or wet. On the lucky nights it was just at one of those hours, but we weren't used to that at all. It must of been a growth spurt, but she was hungry all the time. As of the past week, we are now back to her normal sleeping schedule which is a relief. I'll be going back to work a week from tomorrow, so it's nice to get normal sleep in preparation.

What has been wonderful about this past month is how often she smiles, laughs, and even chuckles now. We love it! It is so rewarding to see that toothless, gummy smile. We can't get enough of it. She is so curious and pays careful attention to faces (wanting to touch them all the time). She seems to be responding to her name every now and then. She also sits for a good while on her own before toppling over. What a doll.

Smiling and Stoic

Napping

We tried to catch some smiles yesterday, but were unsuccessful.


We thought it was cute that Claire started blowing raspberries the other day. But it is less cute when you're trying to feed her rice cereal.

Claire's rice cereal mustache.

Textures

Claire loves to feel different textures. One of her favorites being Molly's fur. Claire didn't pay much mind to Molly until recently, but now we have to help Claire pet Molly so that she doesn't yank Molly's ears off or poke her eyes out. Claire also loves to feel the pillow on her bed, shirt seems, lace, my hair, Andrew's beard, the couch, the quilt...really the list could go on and on. Her are some photos of her and Molly.


Claire giving Molly a deep-tissue massage.

Sitting...or at Least Trying

It doesn't last long before she topples over, but Claire is working on sitting. Molly is always very helpful during Claire's photo shoots.

All Jumped Out

Toy Time

Claire playing with her favorite toys.

Much Better

Claire can finally breathe out of her tiny nostrils and is feeling much better. While I was on the mend, Andrew caught our cold, but today we're all doing well.

This week I've been busy both at home and at work preparing for the semester. At home I've been taking entries and photos from this blog to create a pregnancy journal through shutterfly.com. It's coming along slowly, but surely.

Sick Sweetie

It appears that Claire caught her first common cold. She woke up last night crying at 1:30 am, 4:30 am, 6:30 am, then for good around 7 am. That's the first time she has ever awakened in the middle of the night. Even when she was a newborn I had to wake her up to feed her. To make matters worse, I am also sick, so Andrew has been tending to the two of us. I've been dreading her first sickness for 4 months and a week now, so I guess I'm glad it is finally here so we can get over that fear. She doesn't have a fever, but she is congested and has a very runny nose and fills her diapers pretty quickly. We're keeping her hydrated and giving her Tylenol to feel better. I'm hoping tomorrow will show a vast improvement.

Here are some photos taken yesterday during a trip to Danville to see my family. My mom never dressed my sister and me in identical clothes growing up, but it is so adorable to see Claire and Alexandra in the same outfit. Here are some shots of them in their new dresses from Momma Mia (or Momma, we're not exactly sure what my mom's nickname will be).





Uncle Chris soothed Claire to sleep after several failed attempts by others (myself included.)


Last is a video taken last week of Claire and her new kicking that she loves to do.