Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Claire's 4th and 5th Month

We have been busy enjoying our summer and totally dropped the ball on giving an update for June, so here is a little of what June and July have held in the world of Claire :)

Claire is FIVE MONTHS old! Well, now 5 1/2. I cannot believe how fast time has flown by. I feel like it was just yesterday we brought her home.  She is getting to be such a big girl! (Bittersweet sniffle). I love watching her conquer new feats daily. I look at things completely different now as I experience her taking in every detail of the world around her- to which she pays extra close attention.

Claire is getting big! Well at least to us... She is still weighing in at around 13 pounds, hanging out in the 5-10th percentile.  We just this week were able to start putting her in her extensive 3-6 month summer wardrobe.  We were stressed it wasn't going to get much use, but with temperature above 100, there is no end of summer in sight. Our pediatrician has given us continued reassurance she is growing just fine, it is just her genetics- both parents being the runt of the litter :)

Claire is so incredibly alert! She perks up to every noise, will pause to listen anytime someone speaks, and loves music toys. She also loves to talk- we wake up every morning now to her sweet little voice gabbing away in her crib and quickly report to her side to hear about (what we assume are) her dreams from the night.  Claire is full of smiles, kindly giving them out to everyone she sees for free or, complete opposite, will get in moods where you have to really work for it (jump, sing, or just look like a total goof!).  She has also started laughing fairly regularly and has become quite ticklish.  Claire will laugh at everything from a simple diaper change to moments in a conversation to make you feel as though she had to of known what was said.  She will also quickly jump into a talking a frenzy if you create an awkward silence by just staring at her :) Claire adores her growing library of books and has even lately taken to anxiously "turning" the pages.

Here is great video of her laughing- unfortunately, it took being a "goof"...


Here is Claire telling bedtime stories


Along with turning those pages, Claire's motor skills have grown tremendously! She is rolling all over the place, which is now her mode of transportation.  She is a pro at her baby push-ups, ensuring she never misses a thing.  Claire has also developed her own (what we call) opposite army crawl- she walks her legs up until her little bottom is high in the air then pushes forward (while dragging her face along the ground/crib/etc.) with her feet.  She has a favorite end of her crib which she has to turn sideways and travel a couple feet to get to, but makes it every night.  Claire is starting to attempt to sit up, unfortunately only when being strapped in her car seat and eating. Her true preference is standing, which she wants to do alllll the time! While standing she has made it a habit to "walk" backwards.  During playtime, we have most recently had to take away several hard toys and rattles due to repeat self inflicted abuse from over excited flailing arms.  Claire has no teeth yet (or evidence of any soon!), but LOVES to chew on everything from biting at Dad's nose to attempts at devouring an entire hand or foot.  She has been known to attempt fitting her entire hand in her mouth at the cost of choking.

Here is a video of her in action


Here she is playing with her new toy



Other things Claire has come to enjoy are her sippy cup and food samplings .  Jason was never able to have much success with her bottle feeding, so we decided to give a sippy cup a try- thank goodness! She is a pro at (again) chewing on the spout and swallowing what she gets to leak into her mouth.  Unconventional, yes, but it works!  Claire has become quite the mooch and wants everyone else's food and drinks- especially if it is accessorized with a straw! Since she expressed such interest in food, we have gone ahead and let her start sampling one food item per week.  So far she has tried and loved bananas, peas, pears, carrots, and peaches.  I hope this liking for all foods continues :)




Here is a link to our updated summer photo album on Facebook:

We hope you enjoy the videos and pictures! We will surely have more coming soon :) Also, please forgive Claire's lack of clothing in all the videos- she has more clothes than we do, it has just been one hot summer! Make sure to watch for a blog post about our cross country venture to Seattle with Claire in just a few short weeks for her Uncle Owen's wedding.

Jason and Crystal

P.S. I found this on Pinterest and loved it! We can only relate to a few right now, but I am sure the rest is to come :)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jill-smokler/50-lessons-parenting-young-kids_b_1577298.html


3 comments:

  1. So cute! She's so much fun : )

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    1. Thank you! When I saw your comment I thought of how she lit up we walked in your hospital room and saw you- she loves her Aunt Kristen :)

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