Two months and smiling!

Claire celebrated her two month birthday this week with cake...well, at least mom and dad enjoyed a fun cake that mom made to celebrate the occasion:


Claire "celebrated" two days later with her two month check up. She was a very good baby, showing off one of her most impressive new tricks for the doctor: smiling! The smiles occur most frequently during outfit changes, so perhaps we have a fashion diva on our hands. We haven't quite figured out what else we are doing to make her smile, but we get them here and there, and we're pretty sure they are not gas related. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to capture any good ones on camera, so the rest of you will just have to come visit to witness one for yourself. Oh, and the doctor's appointment went well, with Claire weighing in at 11 pounds, 8 ounces and measuring 23 inches. She was none too happy about her immunization shots, but the crying did not last very long, which was a big relief for mom and dad.

And yes, I did say that smiling was one of her new tricks. The others? Claire has discovered that her thumb is an excellent substitute for a pacifier. She doesn't always get her thumb, occasionally settling for a finger or the outside of her fist, but she is getting there. And it is adorable:

Her final new trick? Even better sleeping. And not just cute sleeping (like the final picture below, which followed a nice walk with Vinnie), but quality night time sleeping for extended periods of time. Six hours has become the expectation at night, with a couple of nights of 7-8 hours. Mom could not be more excited about the extra sleep!

8 Weeks

Claire just turned 8 weeks old, and she is doing all kinds of neat stuff. She is very alert and seems quite serious as she studies her surroundings. She is holding her head up for longer and longer (as one of the photos below demonstrates). She is gaining weight like a champ, having recently weighed in at 11.7 pounds (which includes her outfit and diaper, so she isn't quite that big). And the really great thing is that she has been sleeping for 5 and 6 hour stretches at night. She is usually pretty fussy late at night, but once she settles down, she is out for a good stretch, which has been great for everyone's sleep. She seems to enjoy listening to music, which often calms her when she gets fussy. We've also had two turning over events. She only seems able to do it on soft surfaces (like the couch and the bed), and not in her bassinet or play yard, which have firmer surfaces. But it is still quite the accomplishment.

Claire has been quite the adventurer lately. She has gone to the grocery store several times, she helped take Vinnie to the vet (Vinnie had a sprained ankle and we got some x-rays just to be safe), she's gone to the mall, and she has accompanied us to visit some friends for dinner. Grandmother Karen came over last Thursday for mom and dad's first outing together without Claire. We went to the first Real Salt Lake game in their new stadium, and Karen and Claire had a ball hanging out together...they had so much fun that we caught them napping together when we got home. Inquiries have been made about our next outing, as someone apparently really enjoyed hanging out with Claire (and we can certainly understand why).

And here are the photos to document everything. First, Claire shows off her neck strength and makes eyes at her mom. Then a quick smile for Grandpa when he isn't looking. Next we have photographic proof that Claire and Karen had way too much fun together, as they were caught napping. And finally, Claire shows off a pretty dress that Grandmother Lana sent her, and that Claire wore over to some friends' house for a social evening (needless to say, she was the center of attention).