Grandparents, Grandparents!!

Claire is so fortunate to have so man grandparents. We spent some time in Houston a week ago and Claire got to see her Masters grandparents, "Pierre" and Gigi. And she got see Aunt Abbey as well. She had fun dipping her feet in the pool and hanging out.

4 Months Old

YAY!! Claire is 4 months old. Again, it has gone by so fast. She is laughing, rolling over, sitting up with help, wanting to stand all of the time, and the list goes on. She is now about 14.8 pounds and 26 inches long. I was running out of things for Claire to do while she was on her back. So, Kyle and I went to Babies R Us to buy one of those big toy bar/gym things (the one in the picture with Kyle below) that sits over the baby while they are on their backs. We spent 30 minutes trying to decide which one was the best (they were pretty much the same, but you know, new parents). Anyway, we got it home and Claire loved it, she played under it for quite some time that afternoon. The next day she figured out how to roll over and now we can't keep her on her back. Needless to say, the perfectly picked toy is no longer useful at this time. It lasted for about 24 hours. She does not want to stay on her back to play with it. It figures! Now that she knows how to roll over, she wants to do it over and over again. She is SO CUTE!






We got the go ahead from the doctor to start solids. Claire LOVES rice cereal. She looks like an alligator going after food. She attacks the spoon. She cries or gets fussy if we don't go fast enough. I can't wait to start giving her veggies and fruits. For a kid who absolutely hates the bottle, we were so surprised how well she is doing with solids...YAY! (Don't laugh at my outfit, I was feeling comfortable...I know, it's really bad).

Happy 4th of July!

This weekend for the fourth, we had some friends, Matt and Rachel and their little girl, Reese, come up to stay with us. We had a great time. Reese was so much fun and was so sweet to Claire.









A couple of weeks ago I had gone out to get Claire the perfect 4th of July outfit. At this point we had no plans, but I wanted Claire to look cute, even if we were hanging out at home. I found a really cute top and these adorable little denim bloomers with ruffles on the back. I was so excited to put her in the outfit. On Friday morning I started getting her dressed and realized her outfit was definitely made for cuteness and not with a baby in mind. The back of the shirt had buttons with little loopholes that you had to get the buttons through. It took me forever to get them fastened, as Claire is quite squirmy these days. Well, Matt and Kyle offered to keep the girls while Rachel and I went out to lunch. When we got back Kyle and Matt were in Claire's room with Claire on the changing table, covered in poo, and they were trying to get her little shirt off. Both of them were concentrating very hard trying to get it off when I heard one of them say, "these stupid buttons...I can't get them undone." All that to say, I wanted her to wear this precious outfit, she didn't go anywhere, and she pooped all over it. Luckily, we took some pictures of her in before this all went down.

Alexa

Alexa is a special little girl whom I was so blessed to know and work with this past school year. Alexa was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma in December of 2005. She was recently in the hospital with a lung infection that eventually took her life. She was just 4 years old. I wanted to post her blog sites so that I could share with you all just how special she truly is and to hear her amazing story told by her mother. I encourage you all to visit her blog when you have a chance. Alexa had an incredible amount of faith and love for Christ and I have no doubt she is in Heaven where she is happy and cancer free.

First Vacation for Claire

We just got back from the annual Wigley family reunion. We went to Naples, FL (acutally Bonita Springs). Claire did so great!! She rode on her first airplane and was so good. Kyle and I were super nervous, but everything went off without a hitch. Claire went in the pool a couple of times and she even made it down to the beach, although she was not too crazy about it. All of her (second) cousins were so sweet with her and really seemed to enjoy playing with her. We had a great time and were sad to see everyone go.

I miss you, Daddy!!

Claire is in Bellville this week and is missing her Daddy! We thought we'd post a few pics so Dad could see her...Here are a few random shots. Expect more soon, we are going to Florida and will probably have some good ones. I'll post when we get back.

Beach Baby

Claire is ready for the summer! She is sporting the latest in baby swimwear...which, by the way, was impossible to find. My friend, Julie, told me last year that you have to buy infant Halloween costumes months in advance and apparently the same is true for swimsuits. We finally found a few. Claire doesn't seem to be bothered by sunglasses and hats. When we put them on her she looks like she is thinking, "whatever." I am so excited (Kyle not so much) that she likes accessories, she will definitely be a girlie girl =)

Speaking of which....We made our first trip to the mall today. We went with Gabi and Claire's friend, Alana (Gabi's baby). Claire seemed very comfortable there. She loved looking at all of the clothes and did pretty well overall. It was so exciting to know I could take her to the mall and actually get to shop. YAY!!

I go back to work next week =( I am so sad. I have had so much fun spending time and bonding with our little girl. We are taking her to an awesome sitter, who, I know, will take great care of her. Only problem...Claire will NOT take a bottle. I am a little stressed about it. My mom got her to take one and the baby sitter did a trial run with her on Tues. and got her to take 2 oz. That is not a lot. She gets so mad when it is offered to her, it is a battle. We have spent tons of money on bottles trying to find one she likes. I even bought a $13 bottle that is in the shape of, well, you know...the real thing. She didn't like it. The only thing she will drink from is the free newborn bottles we got from the hospital that hold 2 oz. of milk....it figures.

2 Months Old!!

Claire is 2 months old! It is amazing how fast the time is going by. She is growing and changing so much. At her 2 month check up she weighed 11 lbs, 7 oz and was 24 1/4 inches long!!! She is talking and smiling like crazy. We just can't wait for her to laugh, I know it will be such a wonderful sound. We are falling more and more in love with her every day. She is so much fun.

Our Little Couch Potato

We caught Claire watching the Aggie baseball game. She was just as comfy as could be in front of that TV/sports game...just like her Daddy.

An "Eye Opening" Experience...

I just couldn't resist not posting these pics. I thought they were so funny! I guess the flash made her eyes open a little more than usual. She sure loves her bath.

"Little Miss Muscles"

Claire is so strong!! She is holding her head up (has been since week 1) and now likes to stand and put weight on her legs. This little seat she is sitting in is only for babies who can hold their heads up, so I thought I'd try it today. It cracked me up because she looks so tiny in it. She seems to like it okay. I only left her in it for about a minute, but it was fun!

Also...

Claire is quite colicky during the evenings. Although, she is getting MUCH better, she still makes us really work to get her to calm down. Kyle and I have spent many hours bouncing on an exercise ball and carrying her around the house. Kyle even does the "Bunny Hop!!!" She seems to really like to bounce and move around. So much so, that Kyle was worried we were shaking her little brain up. It is pretty funny, but we do whatever it takes. I thought I'd share this pic. of Kyle bouncing on the ball (Claire's favorite).

Say Cheese!

We finally know that Claire is okay with the parents that she got...she is smiling at us. It is so fun to make her smile. It is pretty amazing what a grown person will do just to make a baby smile. We are loving it. It has been almost impossible to get a picture of her smiling (my camera has such a delay on it). This weekend Claire's Grams and Poppi came to visit and Poppi was able to get a few pics of her smiling.