Cuddling with Claire

Claire woke up from a very short morning nap and was still exhausted. She was having a hard time falling back to sleep in her crib, so I gave in and let her cuddle in with me. Most of the time we try to be tough, but sometimes the mom in me gives in. She's only a baby once, so I may as well enjoy moments like these.

Cars, Cousins and Cake

We headed up to Art's parents on Saturday afternoon to spend sometime with his family. Katie, Steve and Sam were in town, so it was nice to have all the cousins together. We also had cake to celebrate Kristine's upcoming birthday. It was perfect way to spend the day.

The one downfall was the fact that the 30 minute trip up to his parents took us closer to 60 minutes both ways...SO MUCH construction. Half the reason we live in the middle of the city is because it never takes us long to get anywhere. I swear that every major freeway within a 5 mile radius of our house is under some sort of construction. It is going to be a very long summer...I might have to start taking side roads in order to keep my sanity. Sorry for the rant (Art is already sick of me complaining about it)!

Mommy, Why Can't I Move?!?!

It Was Fun While it Lasted..

We have taken advantage of the beautiful sunshine and 70 degree temperatures the last few days. Unfortunately, things are supposed to take a turn for the worse tomorrow.

Goodbye Spring. Hello Winter. Again.

Memory Lane

We went on our first road trip last weekend to the lovely city of Willmar, MN where my cousin got married. As most of you know, Art grew up in Willmar. Unfortunately his parents moved to the Twin Cities after he graduated from high school, so I was never able to get the grand tour until now. While he may not admit it, Art was LOVING the trip down memory lane. We drove past the house he grew up in, his cabin, his high school, the golf course where he frequented...we even went past the skating rink where Art was a 'rat rink' (I'm still not sure what that is, but I do know it was documented in the local paper at one point). It was quite endearing to hear him talk about the place he spent the first 18 years of his life.

The Tour Guide Himself

Art's childhood home (he was very disappointed that it has been completely remodeled)

Johnny Jump Up and More...

I put Claire in the Johnny Jump Up today. She was convinced just long enough for me to snap these cute pictures:

In other Claire news, she finally has both arms out of her swaddle. Yes, I know that it may seem weird that at 4.5 months we still have her all wrapped up, but it has really made her sleep better. We took the left arm out a few months ago, and finally took the right arm out last Friday. It hasn't seemed to faze her at all. In another week or so, we will probably pack away the swaddle for good.

Complicated.

We did a Riedel wine tasting event at Solera last night. At the beginning, we were told that the appetizers would be removed from the tables - to ensure that nothing interfered with the aromas of the wine. Also, Georg Riedel (yes, it sounds like Needle) promised to "complicate our lives" by introducing us to the dramatic impact of high-end wine glasses. Seriously; pretty intense wine tasting.

Georg walked us through 3 different types of wine glasses and advised us to the types of wines that work best in each.

Our new favorite wine glasses (the Sommeliers Burgundy Grand Cru):

Not so Short Afterall

Claire had her four-month appointment this morning. She ended up not being so short afterall. She measured 25 inches long (89th percentile) and weighed in at 13 pounds, 11 ounces (68th percentile). Her head continues to be on the large side - 93rd percentile. Not all that surprising given the size of her parents' heads. :) She did A LOT better with the shots this time. A few tears and some minor crying, so not too bad.

Mini Baseball Fan

Claire sported her new Twins tee for the first time yesterday. She was all set to cheer them on last night...too bad the game was canceled due to weather.
The startled look on her face is due to the fact that I had to use the flash last night. She is obviously not used to it!

Four Months Old

Claire turned four months old today. It is amazing how fast another month has gone by. We continue to enjoy our time with her every day and marvel at how much she has changed. Here are some interesting facts about Claire at four months:

• She loves playtime...on her playmat, on a blanket or in her exersaucer.
• Her favorite toy is her rings. She loves to hold them in her hands, pull them apart and put them in her mouth.
• She is obsessed with her mouth (see previous bullet point). She puts anything and everything in it. Her fingers, my fingers, Art's fingers, toys, blankets...like I said, everything.
• She now rolls from both tummy to back and back to tummy.
• She has started to laugh. She doesn't do it often, but when she does it puts a big smile on both Art and my faces.
• She still gets up once during the middle of the night to eat. Darn...maybe by month 5 she will make it all the way through. Wishful thinking, I know.
• She has suffered her first major cold and ear infection and survived (mom and dad did too).
• She goes to 'school' every Monday-Thursday and has met lots of little friends.
• She considers Sandra Boynton her favorite author and continues to add to her collection of books. She loves to look at the book, look at the person reading to her, and then return her focus to the book.
• She is our little peanut. Bringing her to 'school' has made us realize that she really isn't that tall (shocking, I know). She doesn't go for her check-up until next Friday, so we won't know her stats until then.

Happy Four Months Baby Girl! Love you!!

Beach Baby

In honor of the expected 60 degree temps today, I tried on Claire's swimsuit and sunglasses. She is all set for summer and the pool. 80 degree weather where are you??

Baseball Season Begins

Both Art & I are thrilled that baseball season has begun...so excited that Art has pre-set our DVR to record all of the games (weird, I know). Last night we headed to the game with a group of friends. Despite the fact that I no longer know half of the team and that they completely sucked, it was a fun night. I was also secretly thrilled to see a familiar face on the Angels (see picture below). I mean, really, who doesn't love Torii Hunter.

We are hoping that Claire is just as much of a fan as us (she doesn't really have a choice), so we purchased her a Twins t-shirt of her own. I am sure I will post a picture of her in it in the not so distant future.

Lets hope their performance is better tonight.