Baby Talk

Claire has become quite the little chatterbox. Ben nicknamed her "goo" when she was just days old; that name fits quite well now that she's babbling and her "coos" sound more like "goos".

This morning while she was "talking" to me, she said, "ahhh gooo-ahhh" repeatedly.

Paige must have decided Claire needed an interpreter because (in her most exasperated tone) she interrupted with, "MOM! Claire is saying 'agua'. She's telling you she wants water!".

The Littlest Gymnast

Paige started gymnastics this week. We signed her up for the 3 to 6 year old class so she could be with her friend, Mae, who is a few months older. Not surprisingly Paige is the littlest one in the class, but she tries to make up for it by having the biggest voice. Teacher Deana said, "she is very verbal, isn't she?".

(not the best pic, but the best of what I've taken so far)

Physically she has a lot to work on to catch up to the other kids. I think she'll do fine, if she can keep from getting run over.

Overheard

Paige had her first taste of grapefruit this morning. When Ben asked her if she liked it, she made a face. When he asked her what it tasted like, she responded,

"It's kinda liiiiiiiiike strawberry . . . mixed with yucky."

Somehow Ben got her to take a second bite. A moment later she spit it out in my napkin and said, "It's so nasty, Mama".

Baby Laughs

Claire laughed for the first time tonight. I was nibbling her jawline and out burst the most beautiful sound in the world! At first I thought maybe I was mistaken (10 weeks seems a bit young for laughing), so I nibbled some more - she laughed 3 more times :)

Being a mom is the best.

Overheard

Paige to Claire (in the voice she uses only with babies and small animals):

Look at you, little one! You're the perfect baby for us. Did you know Jesus created you?

Curlies

Paige seems to love all things girly these days, even if it means sitting still for a half hour so I can set her hair in foam rollers. She wore her hair curly to church today. Unfortunately I only got the before pictures.

New Rooms

On Christmas Eve, Santa and his elves finished Paige's "big girl" room; they even moved some of her furniture out of the nursery and into her new space while she slept. The final gift that Paige opened on Christmas morning was the door to her new room. And, wow, was she surprised. She was actually speechless for a moment, trying to catch her breath, and then exclaimed, "it's so beautiful, guys!".


The bed was my bed when I was little. It's a 'youth' size bed - smaller than a twin and larger than toddler - which is no longer made, so I had to custom order a mattress and buy twin bedding, which actually worked out really well. Ben repainted the bed, we moved her canopy, table, some of her books and her reading chair from her old room, hung a new shelf on the wall, and, well, there you have it. Santa was also kind enough to leave a nice new pink kitchen (the gift she'd asked for) in the corner.


I have a few more things I'd like to do to the space. It needs a bookshelf, and some art on the walls. There's a dresser that matches the bed that I need to get from my sister, and I think we may hang a girly chandelier. . .

With Paige in her "big girl" room, the nursery is now free for the baby. Claire's been rooming in with us since she was born, but now that she has about an 8 hour stretch at night without nursing, it's time for her to move to her own room. Paige was also about 10 weeks old when she graduated from the bassinet by mom to the crib in the nursery. It's a bittersweet milestone for me. I'll miss being able to gaze at her while I fall asleep, but at the same time I'll enjoy having my room back.

We've kept the same crib, bedding, and rug that Paige used, but I'm looking forward to adding some things to the room that will be unique for Claire.

(something my mom made for me for my very first mother's day)

It's a good thing my craft room is almost ready for use - I'm going to need it!

Princesses

Paige and her cousin Anna (6 wks apart) both got Cinderella ensembles for Christmas.

Yeah, this is pretty much how Paige is dressed all day every day that we're at home.

2 months

Claire hit the two month mark on New Year's Day. It was celebrated with a mild cold, pink eye, and thrush. That last one's a fun one for nursing moms, let me tell ya. Athlete's foot on your nipples anyone?

Anywho, we visited the pediatrician today for her check-up, and here's how she measures up:

Height: 23 in - 75%
Weight: 10 lbs 13 oz - 50%
Head circumference: 39 cm - 50%

Her weight was in the 75% just four weeks ago - the doctor was a little concerned and wants to "keep an eye on that". I can't tell you how this compares to Paige at this age, because I don't remember. But if she's anything like Paige (which, there's a good chance she's not - just look 4 posts below for evidence), Claire's weight percentile will just keep dropping and dropping until she hovers somewhere around 2% and I avoid well-child check-ups like the plague.

for the missionaries

I need to be better at this (blogging). If not for myself then for my parents, the missionaries. They entered the MTC on December 7th, and then began their drive to South Carolina the following week. This picture was taken a week and a half before Christmas, right before they headed out on their cross-country journey.

Honey and Papa, thank you for serving a mission.
I've made it my New Year's resolution to blog more :)
We love you!
(and we sure miss you too, but let's not talk about that).