Tuesday, August 31, 2004

8 Weeks

When it's nine and a half weeks I'm totally posting just so that can be the title.

She is 13 pounds and I don't know how long. Big!

They say by the end of the second month you can tell a baby's personality. If that is true, then Claire Helen is a quiet, sensitive kid, and a little shy. I would beam with the pride of ownership, except I hear that M was also that way, so I'll share my ownership. Co-owners of her personality.

When we go to playgroup, the other babies her age like to sit facing forward, to get in on the action. Claire Helen does too, but not at first. At first she clings to me, with one fist grabbing the neck of my shirt and the other holding my sleeve. She peeks out over my shoulder and occasionally wriggles into my neck. Once she is satisfied that the baby eating monsters have temporarily left the premesis, she will sit on my lap and coo genially at the neighbor baby.

There are still only 3 triggers to make her cry. If you can avoid them, she is the most perfect placid baby ever there was. These are hunger(a baby tragedy of the WORST kind), being too hot, and having been awake for more than two hours. This last one is tricky, because you think she's fine, I mean, she's even smiling through Bounce the Baby to the Tune of Rawhide, but oh, you're wrong. Any second now she's going to start with the NeeeAAAAAAA and the AAAANNNNNNNNGGGGG and the Actual Pouty Lip, and you have MISSED THE MAGIC WINDOW and THERE WILL BE NO SLEEPING. And she's going to get more and more pissed off and have more and more grievances to list. Who has time for sleep with all these problems?

We made that last mistake this very evening. M was downstairs trying ot make amends to the baby gods. He must have sacrificed a goat or a pacifier or something because it sounds quiet, now.

Polka dotted baby takes flight! Posted by Hello

Polka dotted baby loves her daddy. Said daddy thinks the mommy takes a LOT of pictures. Posted by Hello

Y'all have just gots to get you some of these delicious hands. Mmmmmm mmm finger lickin' good! Posted by Hello

This is how mommy gets to take a shower. All hail the Baby Papasan. Posted by Hello

This is an early smile shot. This is the way we always catch smiles- at the very end. Our camera takes a minute to focus, so by the time we get it to go she's done performing and is curious about the giant hunk of plastic we appear to have attached to our heads. Posted by Hello

Sunday, August 29, 2004


Hail Mary! Thanks to our neighbors Jason and Suzie from Wisconsin, and our law school friend Greg (who sent a Vikings jersey and a Chicago Bears jersey for balance), Claire has almost collected jerseys from the entire NFC North Division. Of course she has no idea what football is, and is by no means guaranteed to even like it... Posted by Hello

This is the view of Claire's musical mobile. It would freak me out, but she seems to like it. Posted by Hello

Tuesday, August 24, 2004


Last week, our house was being painted, so we decided to get out of the house all day. Posted by Hello

We all got ready to go, and then we went to Petco. Posted by Hello

We made Betty a new dogtag, and got her a toy. Posted by Hello

Betty had recently chewed off her collar, so we thought we would go get her a new one. Posted by Hello

There were so many options! Posted by Hello

Betty was pretty happy about her new toy. She chewed on it all the way to U-Village. Posted by Hello

We had lots of help. Posted by Hello

Betty had to stay outside. Posted by Hello

Next we went to Bartells to pick up diaper supplies. Posted by Hello

But she was very excited to see us when we got back. Posted by Hello

Betty had to stay in the car this time. Posted by Hello

It was time for lunch! We thought we'd go get Daddy and head to a park. Posted by Hello

They were good. Posted by Hello

Daddy got us sandwiches. Posted by Hello

Sometimes people look like their dogs. Posted by Hello

I got a bee sting. I'm a little allergic to bee stings. Posted by Hello

Back to Bartells! Posted by Hello

Then it was time for Daddy to go back to work. Posted by Hello