Clara-Jean, our little champ!

So today was Clara's 4 month check up and she had to get 5 shots! She cried big tears when they first poked her...but before that she was grinning from ear to ear and was talking a lot to Noel (the head nurse)and Dereck (The Med student following Dr. Seidel around). It was so sweet! She just sat on my lap in her diaper, chatting it up out of no where! Then I had to lay her on the table/bed/whatever it is called. When they finished with her they handed her to me and she just kinda whimpered a little (which pulled on my heart strings) and then she stopped crying completely! We put her clothes back on and she was back to being all smiles!

She is asleep in our bed right now but when she wakes up she will probably need a little bit of Tylenol. We are so proud of her! Each day we are amazed at how much she is changing. There are things that I notice that I never blog about because I don't think you all want to hear about every tiny thing she does. But, I am feeling kind of in the mood right now to brag on her since before I know it she will be walking around and these sweet things will be a thing of the past.

So, here area few of the things she has done:
-Last Tuesday I was babysitting for a friend and Clara decided to roll from her tummy to her back 5 times in a row! Of course I did not have a video camera but I got it on my phone camera and now I can't get it off. It was very cool to see.

-After we got back from our trip to NM (in August) I put a toy on the car seat (courtesy of our good friends David and Kaylane) that sings the "Pop Goes the Weasel" song EVERY TIME the button gets pushed, and Clara's eyes lit up! She got a huge smile on her face and in a matter of two days her hands went from reaching outward (trying to grab the toys) to getting her arms and hands in front of her face to reach the toys. She LOVES her "little friend" and now can drag it to her mouth every time she is in the seat.

-She got an activity mat and loves to lay on her back and play with the toys hanging above her head. Sometimes she yells at her hanging toys because they wont get or stay in her mouth. : )

-She loves standing on our legs on her tippy toes (literally), loves sitting in her bumbo on the table while we eat

-makes lots of funny faces (while the camera is not around)

-She smiles at Bonnie, Elena, Mommy and Daddy all the time!

This morning while I was waiting for Elena to finish getting dressed for school, Clara woke up. I fed her and then took her to rest with me on my bed. It was a precious moment that I hope I can recall for the rest of my life. She was laying on her left side on top of my right arm. We were staring into each others eyes and I was singing to her. Her eyes were big and bright looking at me, she smiled every time I sang, and her right hand just played with my left hand exploring the whole time. I know this may not sound too precious, but words are not able to describe the mood and the feelings that were happening in that short time. Precious. : )

Here are a couple of pictures we took this morning at the Dr's. She is 13 pounds 14 ounces(50%), 25 inches long (75%), and her head measures 41.6cm (70%). The Dr. Said she looks great and is doing great. He also said we could start rice cereal this month just to get her used to the texture of solid foods. NOT for nutritional value. He said really, anytime between 4-6 months is fine to start rice cereal. That's right! Rice cereal!!! I cannot believe it! We are not sure yet if we are going to wait or not, but I'm sure you will see pictures of the first time.