4 Months Strong

Today is Claire's four month "birthday", and we can't hardly believe it. She had her four month check up on Thursday so I have recent "stats" to report: 16 lbs, 11 oz; 27" in length. She's in the 100th percentile for weight and the 105th percentile for length. You can see why we've already started getting her into some of the nine month old clothing that we have. She's our tall drink of water.

Lately Claire has become quite the chatterbox. She's an orator alright, and man has she got a lot to say. Just earlier this week she delivered a 45 minute long soliloquy in Costco, resulting in some sideways stares from our fellow discount-shopping patrons. It's a funny thing to be conversing with a loud and proud four month old hanging off the front of you in the Bjorn while you are hefting a case of canned black beans in your over-sized cart. Claire must feel at home in the warehouse store, because like the wares they sell, she's got a lot of value packed into her (not so) little package. It was a fun day, and we came home with everything on our list.

Other recent developments are as follows:

1. Outgrew her little baby sink bathtub, and graduated to the big blow up "ducky bath" intended for children who are already sitting up on their own. Claire is of course NOT sitting up on her own, so this has presented a new and exciting bath-time challenge for Luke and I. Fun and games with a naked and slippery infant with the possibility of a strained back and soap in her eyes...ah parenthood. We live for this.
   
2. Both brings her hands together, and brings them to her mouth, (and usually whatever else she has snatched up in them along the way). She sucks on her hands and fists all the time, and we are working to discourage her from sucking on any one finger, like her thumb, and trying to get her to steer towards her pacifier for comfort sucking. We also think that she's starting to teeth, so most everything that is going into her mouth isn't being sucked on so much as it's being chomped on...which is pretty funny to watch. She is starting to look at her hands (what pediatricians call "regarding her own hands"), but we've yet to have that breakthrough moment when she stares at them fixedly.
3. She can roll over. She doesn't like it, but she can do it. It's very exciting when we catch her doing it...kind of like spotting an exotic animal at the zoo!
4. She has officially grown out of every single piece of clothing labelled "3 months". And--she's almost out of some of her "6 month" items. It so depends on the brand and label of the particular item.
5. She is enjoying her time with her "babysitter" Debbie. We've known Debbie for a little over 3 years now because she is a member at the church and lives very close by. Debbie and Claire enjoy going up and down the stairs SEVERAL times a day (they have three floors), and also looking in all the mirrors in Deb's house (Claire is very vain).

So life is good with little Claire Louise. We know that the next couple of months are going to bring a lot of change, and we can't wait!