Hey Mom, look at me!!

Clara is amassing new skills on what seems to be a daily basis; however, it is hard to capture these moments on video due to her rapt fascination with the video camera and her tendency to stare blankly at the flashing light whenever it appears. Luckily, we managed to catch her off guard on several occasions and documented some of the major developments of the past month.

This first video documents three of Clara's loves: (1) munching on anything with a strap; (2) viciously attacking the wipes on her changing table; and (3) sucking on her toes.

I'm beginning to fear that Clara has a little bit too much of her Mama's serious nature and not enough of her Dad's fun-loving humor. This rare display of the giggles hopefully proves otherwise.

Clara's new found mobility is still somewhat of a shock to her -- especially when she realizes that she is the victim of self-imposed "tummy time."

An autumnal post.

Lest you think that our little family has been exclusively focused on helping Clara perfect the art of blowing raspberries, Katie and I wanted to assure you that we've been at least as busy as bees (especially considering their sluggish nature in such chilly temperatures as we've had recently).  Here are a few of the other activities that we've been engaged in over the last two weeks:

Ah, good ol' New England exercise.  Strangely enough, we found all of these leaves (and more, since the pile heads around the corner) in restful repose upon our lawn on the weekend before the vacuuming truck came by.  I am presently harboring a sneaking suspicion that our neighbors conspired against us in the dead of night and stealthily moved hundreds of pounds of crinkly leaves into our backyard right under our proverbial noses.  As additional words will undoubtedly fail to accurately express my possibly irrational sentiments, allow me to conclude the description of this picture thus: if it were possible to perish from the condition of sore leaf-raking muscles, I would not be writing this post right now.

It is indeed fortunate that the sense of satisfaction that accompanies a well-groomed backyard invigorates and enlivens the constitution, and my muscles were "back on their feet" (as it were) in no time.

(now, back to more baby)

After such an endeavor, what better way to recuperate than by gorging oneself on turkey, stuffing, cranberry super-yum, and other assorted treats?  Thankfully, Thanksgiving was just around the corner, and we were able to soothe what ailed us by eating large quantities of delectable delicacies.  Which consequently caused a series of different ailments, but that's a story for a different day...

Seeing as Clara hadn't yet really gotten on the solid food bandwagon, my mom decided to prep her for the meal by introducing her first solid food: tree bark.

Clara thought it was pretty freakin' delicious.

Afterwards, we had a little rest.

Katie and Clara peacefully preparing for the gluttony which will shortly ensue.

(pictures of eating excised for the

purposes of good taste and decorum)

After the feast, we had to hose Clara down, as we do every night, and my mom was kind enough to fluff up the towels in the dryer before they were used.  Clara thereby discovered the joys of warm towels, and rolled around in them for about ten minutes before the excitement (and heat) dissipated.

 

 

(the little cutie.)

Katie and I were fortunate enough to have our friends Joe and Marcia visit us over the holiday as well - they moved back to Minnesota a few years ago, but are kind enough to constitute the (adopted) Midwestern segment of our family, and so they came out to meet little Clara and hang out while enjoying the beautiful weather that we had in Boston over Thanksgiving.

 

Clara winds up for a full-body attack on Mel the Squeaking Moose.

Joe tried teach Clara how to do a Charlie McCarthy bit, but every time he tried to do the ventriloquism thing, it just sounded like a baby crying.  Maybe a little more practice will do it next time.

Finally, Clara's been practicing her up-sitting in the boppy.  Here she is looking skeptical after being told that it's a useful skill - will anything be as comfortable as being carried around?  She may have a point...

Is your Mama a Llama?

Perhaps we've read that book too many times, because Clara clearly thinks her Mama is a llama. It's the only explanation for why she repeatedly tries to communicate with us in llamaese.

Clara @ 4 Months

Clara is 4 months old today. She continues to amaze us in the growth department, measuring in the 99th percentile for height. Her favorite activities are having long early morning conversations with herself, dancing to Sharon, Lois and Bram and putting everything within reach into her mouth. She (and her mother) survived their first two (partial) days of separation this week, and she loved spending her days with cousin Elliot, who she studies with rapt fascination. She is well prepared for the fast approaching Boston winter thanks to Anja, our friend Amy and her father, who have supplied her with a variety of fashionable hats.

Family Resemblance?

Katie thinks that Clara has inherited my dashing good looks - when we visited my grandparents in Pennsylvania, we found some baby pictures of me that allowed us to make an accurate comparison.  It's up to you: what do you think?

Chris at 5 months

Clara at 4 months

Let's hope that the logical progression, given these pictures, does not come to pass (this picture of my head has been chosen for maximum beauty):

Since we scanned some of these baby pictures, here's an image of me at 2 months practicing the sideways smile that has served me well as a prelude to mischief...

A Vacationlet.

Clara, Katie, and I took a minivacation to the lands on either side of the Mason-Dixon line over the course of this past weekend.  While we didn't see any mechanical ducks on our visit, we did have the fortune to visit my grandparents and some of our friends who have migrated South with our feathered friends towards (slightly) warmer locales.  During our journeys on the road southward, we also encountered not a few snowflakes; I discovered, much to my chagrin, that it is difficult to satisfy indignant feelings toward such injustices as snow-in-October while traveling on the highway, and the best that I could do is call my mom and complain.  Thank heavens for mothers (and cell phones).

Clara was fortunate enough to get acquainted with a whole host of new people who love and care for her from afar, including:

my grandmother Arlene, who was amazed at Clara's training to seek after a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for "Most Fingers Simultaneously in Mouth",

my aunt Mary, who taught her how to imitate the effect of drinking a 2-liter bottle of Mountain Dew,

Katie's law school friend Leslie, who taunted her with a delicious cream cheese pecan pie which must have been conjured, rather than made (actually, it was I who did the taunting while eating said pie),
 

our friends Sonya and Jeff and their daughter Rebecca, who is cute as a button, has enough energy to put the Energizer Bunny to shame, and sweetly shared her toys with our little drooly (sp?) munchkin,

and my grandpa Redding, who over the course of his 87 years has actually figured out how to tell jokes to his 4 month old great-grandchildren.

We also were able to visit our friends Jared and Amy in Baltimore and got a chance to see their gorgeous new townhouse in Baltimore and meet the even gorgouser Sylvie Pearl, who is just a few months older than Clara but already is a barrel of laughs and smiles, visit the Mutter medical museum in Philadelphia and marvel at the many icky things that can be (and are) stored in specimen jars, and visit the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the adjoining new (to me) park space so that Katie could see where the Constitution that she defends in so stalwart a manner was written.

It was a fun trip and wonderful to reconnect with so many friends and family that we don't get to see as often as we would like.  As with most good vacations, we were a little worn out at the end, but it's a good worn out.

New Tricks

Trick #1 - Spitting



Trick #2 - Eating an apple

Little Miss Pumpkin.

Despite the rain and muddy ground, the annual MIT glass pumpkin patch was held this weekend - if you've never seen it, all of the most cultured and famous pumpkin connoisseurs come from miles around to throw their money at inanimate glass pumpkins.  So we figured that if we brought an animate pumpkin (albeit non-glass), maybe we could get them to throw some money at her as well.

In this picture, you can see Clara simultaneously modeling for her well-wishers and communing with others of her kind.  She actually flew in for this event on her magic bubble-wrap carpet.

Contemplative hand-munching.

Clara had the bright idea that pumpkins might actually taste good, and decided to have a bite of the one that she was sitting in. We tried to explain that this was a well-established tradition, of a sort, but she couldn't wait for the Thanksgiving meal to test her theories out.

On a separate note, I continually marvel at the wealth of baby paraphernalia that exists for purposes and occasions that are so fleeting as to almost never happen at all.  That being said, however, these trinkets sure are useful during that passing microsecond of appropriateness.  This week's trinket was a nifty thing called a Bumbo - while that would be the perfect name for a punk band that covered Disney songs, it is also a little seat that helps Clara to remain upright while bobbing around and practicing the fine art of muscle control.  It appears to be very comfortable and snug, and Clara very much likes hanging out in it; I'm currently looking for one that fits a size 32 waist. 

After one rides the Bumbo for too long, however, the soporific and bumborific effects start to take their toll.  As might be clear from this picture, Clara had a difficult time walking in a straight line after her stint in the Bumbo.  Actually, she had a tough time walking at all, but hopefully she'll get her Bumbo legs before too long.

Blessingday.

Last weekend, we had Clara's baby blessing at church. It's a very simple ordinance, but quite sweet and touching in its own way. Katie's masterful aunt Gail made a classically beautiful blessing dress for Clara, and it wouldn't be fair to Clara or the dress if we didn't post some pictures here about it. Our friend Saydi also came over and took some pictures of Clara in the dress a few days beforehand so that we would have some high-quality memories of the event.

I'm thinking of printing this picture out in sepia, staining it with tea, and hiding it so that Clara can find it 30 years from now and think that it's from the early 20th century. Of course, my confused mind 30 years hence might also think it's from that time period...

A detail of the dress. Remarkable - I would have thought that such creations could only be created by elves in the off-season.

 

 

Why is is that this expression makes me afraid for my parental resolve and steadfastness?

 

Clara putting the dress through its emotional paces.

 

Hey, you. You talkin' to me?

 

In a fortunate confluence of circumstances, my brother was in town from Germany with his girlfriend Claire, so they were able to come be part of the day; my parents, Katie's parents, Jeff, Anja, Elliot, Ben, Heather, and not-so-little Jorgen were also able to be here for the celebration. It was wonderful to spend time with our families, and that they could all get together to celebrate with our little Clara-bear.

The Great Escape

Clara had a breakthrough in the sleep department this week, increasing the duration of her continuous nighttime sleep from 4 to 8 hours. However, on the second night of this glorious development, Clara decided that sleeping through the night was not nearly impressive enough. To top the prior night's achievement, she also pulled these two little tricks.

BEFORE:


AFTER:

How she managed to work her arm out of both the swaddle and her pajamas is still a bit of a mystery to me.

After feeding and reswaddling (with both arms out), Clara feigned sleep for the next hour while she executed this little trick and executed a 90-degree turn in her crib.


It may be time to lower the crib mattress because at this rate, she'll be climbing out by Friday.

Beach bums.

Over the lovely Labor day weekend, Katie and I decided that it was high time to take Clara to the Cape for her first beach experience (since great white sharks had been spotted off of Chatham, we thought "What better time?") Truth be told, and as might be assessed from the quantity of clothing she is wearing, Clara might not have had a truly authentic experience this time. But we'll make sure she gets more sand in her diaper and eats more seaweed when next we head beachward...



I think that Clara's in there...


Clara considers the benefits of short sleeves.


Doing her old man impression.


It was "Wear your hat to the beach" day.


Clara rebelled against the tyranny of the hat,
and her hair rebelled against her.


I rebelled against everything else.
(or, why it's better when I'm behind the camera.)

I Am Canadian.

When I was in elementary school, the Canadian athletic company "Roots" came out with a sweatshirt design that was all the rage. To possess a Roots sweatshirt with a beaver on the front was a sign of true coolness. My "coolness" was assured when for Christmas I received a pink Roots sweatshirt from my Grandma. To this day, my pink Roots sweatshirt tops the list of "most favorite clothing I have ever owned." Thus, I was overcome with nostalgia when Clara received a nearly identical Roots shirt from her Canadian Grandma. This week in a true showing of her Canadian heritage, Clara wore the noble beaver with pride and declared to the world (along with Joe) that SHE IS (at least 1/2) CANADIAN!

She speaks.

Clara recently discovered that she has a functional voice box, and has been quite diligent in her voice training practice regimen. She regularly spends between 30-45 minutes delivering epistles and discourses on various subjects around 6:30 every morning, as a means for edifying Katie and I (since sleep at that hour is clearly a sign of slothfulness and indolence, and should be avoided at all costs.) We captured one of her conversations on video, so that you could be edified as well.

Of course, this might be even more enlightening if we could figure out what exactly she was trying to say...so far my search for a baby-to-english translator hasn't yielded much fruit. If those computer programmers would just get on the stick and stop sleeping during those invaluable early morning hours, I'm sure this problem would be solved by now.

Or perhaps the answer is just trying to teach her the age-old lesson that one shouldn't talk with fist-in-mouth...

[I thought about posting the other 67 videos of her staring blankly at the video camera here as well, but decided that I would save those for a special occasion.]

Waking Up: A Narrative.

After a -too-short- period of napping, followed by some vigorous kicking and Houdini-like maneuvers, Clara yells and lets us know that she has, once again, been successful at escaping from the confines of her swaddle. She is very proud of herself.



However, the reality of waking up is surprisingly surprising. An extended period of face-scratching and rubbing ensues.



This is followed by some practice poses that will be useful in dealing with paparazzi. Thankfully, she has no bodyguard yet, so my camera is safe.



After she has reconciled herself to the notion that her picture will be captured for future uses, she indulges in a brief period of contemplation. She ponders whether she will be ready for another nap in another 90 minutes, or if the nap can wait as long as 100 minutes. Time will tell.



After much thought, she decides that the best retaliation for all of the photos, as well as payback for the brainsquishing event of last week, is squishing my head.