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Since daddy wrote Claire’s 13 week post, I thought I’d write a bit about some other new things that are happening in the Stafford household - all centered around Miss Wiggles of course. First - and most importantly (in my opinion, anyways) - she slept for a solid NINE STRAIGHT hours last Thursday night. Yay! Of course, I was hoping that would become the norm, but the next few nights weren’t quite as peaceful. However, last night she slept 7 1/2 hours straight. I’m beginning to think daycare is providing much more stimulation than I can in this small apartment, thus the longer stretches of sleep.

 Yes - I said daycare. My 12 week maternity leave was officially over last week and Claire and I spent the day apart for the first time since her birth. To say it was extremely difficult would be an understatement. We did have some trial days the week before, where I stayed with her for a bit, then left for just a few hours at a time. I got to know her teacher, Miss Chermere, and trust that she will take good care of Claire. See photo of the two of them below. I try to remember that at least I’m only away from her 3 days a week, and working from home with her the other two. As hard as it was to leave her on Monday, she had a great day (slept, ate and played well) and was all smiles and coos when I picked her up (photo below). I think it’s possible mommy cried more than baby….

 Another positive from daycare would be the knowledge I gained from Chermere’s mom, Verne, who works there as well. For 3 months, Eric and I have dealt with Claire’s colicky behavior, trying everything we could think of to soothe her. Swaddles, hair dryers - you name it. I never once thought my diet had anything to do with it mainly because I was assured by the lacation specialist at the hospital that what I ate wouldn’t affect my baby. Upon explaining Claire’s fussiness to Verne, she asked if I ate a lot of dairy products. A simple yes would be another understatement - I live off dairy. Apparently the number one baby allergy is to a protein found in cow’s milk. Something that might have been nice to know EARLIER! So, I cut out the main sources of dairy completely and for the past 2 weeks, we’ve seen a very noticeable change in Claire’s mood. What used to be evenings of either screaming or finally being swaddled and sleeping have changed to playing and periods of alertness. While there is no way to prove that this change is due solely to my diet alteration and not other factors (daycare, age, etc.), I’m not ready to trade my happy baby for an ice cream sandwich just yet.

 Eric and I are really enjoying this stage in Claire’s life. The smiles and coos are numerous and we just eat them up. This week I want to start working with her to roll over.  I’d also like to find the time to post more - she changes so fast and I don’t want to miss documenting any of it! I did manage to put up two new photo galleries - Weeks 11 and 12 and Week 13, so visit our site and take a look.

And here’s a video taken Sunday morning, after a family nap before heading to church. It takes Claire a few seconds to think Daddy is funny, but then she’s all smiles!

Ms. Wiggles has made steady, consistent strides in her development over the first 12 weeks of her life.  But I would say the most obvious difference from one week to another came from week 11 to week 12.

For one, she has begun controlling her facial expressions much better.  Before, she was probably smiling in response to gas, but now she puts out frequent BIG smiles and coo’s when interacting with mommy and daddy.  She loves interacting with us and pays extra attention to our facial expressions so that she can try them too.  I’ve heard that the next thing she’ll figure out is how to stick out her tongue, so I’ve been showing her that often.

She’s still small for her age, which seems to already be an established theme for her, but is noticeably stronger.  She can stand for long periods of time (with mommy or daddy holding her steady) and can keep her head up and steady as much as she wants.  Someone at the mall the other day asked us, “What is she, 5 days old?”  And Colleen responded, “Umm, no, she’s 13 weeks.”  They looked puzzled to say the least!  She really does still look small, especially when she’s all balled up in her car seat, but when we pull her out and she stretches those legs out, it’s a different story!

She has also made huge strides in her communication skills.  Other than just being able to scream when something is out of whack, she makes an assortment of noises when interacting with us.  Make no mistake about it though, she still goes back to “ole reliable” whenever the stars are not aligned just right for her!

A couple of firsts for Claire took place here recently.  One of them is that’s she’s finally big enough to face forward in the Baby Bjorn!  That’s very exciting for daddy because now she won’t miss whatever game we’re watching :)  The other first for her was going to the pool for the first time.  She didn’t really know what to make of the water, but she was definitely drawn to the all of the pretty colors she was seeing.

Here’s some pics and a video clip of her playing in her bouncer seat and “talking” to us.  Enjoy!

Happy 3 Month Birthday, Wiggles!

Forward Facing Wiggles!

Smiling At Daddy!

Smiling At Mommy!

On her 11 Week Birthday, Claire decided to turn to Mr. Elephant for a bit of advice on how to manipulate her mommy and daddy into giving her what she wants.

First, she tells him she’ll listen closely to whatever he has to say.
“Go ahead, tell me all you know…”

Claire is clearly shocked at what she hears. “Surely Mr. Elephant is joking!
There’s no way I could do that to my sweet parents! You’ve got to be kidding!”

She decides to listen to Mr. Elephant and give it a try. “Here’s my very best pouty face.
Is my lip stuck out far enough?”

She realizes that mommy and daddy now just laugh at her pitiful little pout.
“You’re right, Mr. Elephant - that wasn’t enough.
Maybe if I just scream at the top of my lungs they’ll bend to my wishes….”

Don’t let her sweet pouty face fool you - this girl is a smart one and has quickly figured out that mommy and daddy aren’t fans of her crying and if she does it long enough, she might just get what she wants.  After sleeping for 5-6 hours straight for about 5 nights in a row, she decided to try going back to just 3 hours stretches. After some heart-breaking crying, daddy came to the rescue and soothed her back to sleep. BUT - the important thing to note is that she slept for another 2 hours without needing to eat, proving that the little munchkin just likes to snack a bit more than necessary!

The 2 1/2 month mark brings about even more “firsts” for Claire. After an excellent night of sleep (due to the shots), we took a family trip to the UNC Campus in Chapel Hill for a picnic and some sightseeing. Claire dressed the part, showing off her Tarheels onesie and matching hair bow. We had lunch near the amphitheater and then walked up and down Franklin street, popping in a shop or two. The weather was just perfect and Claire enjoyed being outside as usual. Below is a picture I snapped of a super alert Wiggles in the car on the way to Chapel Hill and a self family portrait.

When we got home, Claire took a nap and woke up ready to play! She entertained her mommy and daddy by “talking” and smiling profusely underneath her jungle gym. I must have taken dozens of pictures, hoping to capture that sweet smile. Below is one of my favorites, and there are plenty more “faces of Claire” in the Nine and Ten Week Photo Gallery.

Sunday was a busy day. Claire slept through church services in mommy’s lap and tried to be a good girl and let some friends hold her, but was ready to get home and have some lunch! That evening we took Claire to her first Durham Bulls baseball game, along with friends Trey, Sabrina and Carter. Eric and I can remember going along to Carter’s first game about 2 years ago and found it ironic that WE were the ones with a baby this time. Claire did absolutely wonderful, sleeping on her daddy’s chest in the Baby Bjorn and waking up to charm us with her precious smiles. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to charge the camera battery, but we borrowed Sabrina’s camera and captured some of her best expressions yet - I’ll post them soon. I managed to get one picture of her on the way to Durham before the camera gave out - look at her all dolled up in the cute hat (borrowed from Caleigh) and adorable shoes (thanks, Aunt Beth!).

On Tuesday my friend Karen and her son Jack came over for lunch. I couldn’t believe how big Jack has gotten over the past couple of months. He’s a smart boy - knew exactly where to find all the toys in the nursery! I was happy to see some of them getting some use, Claire doesn’t care for too many of them just yet as she prefers munching on her hands. The hope was to capture several cute photos of the two kiddos meeting for the first time, but they had other plans! We managed to get the one below, but you can tell Jack is dying to get down and play and Claire is ready for a nap!

 Claire had a really good 10th week during the day. Her fussing was less than usual and the smiling and cooing was at an all time high. I wish I could say the nights were just as good, but she was waking up quite often and not sleeping as well as she had before. BUT - I’ve been desperately trying different “routines” trying to find what works best for her and I think I may have figured it out. For the past two nights she’s slept 5 1/2 - 6 hours, woke up to feed, then went back down for 2 1/2 - 4 hours. However, Claire has a habit of being unpredictable, so this may be a fluke. Her mommy is desperately hoping it’s not.

So that’s all for now, be sure to check out the new Nine and Ten Week Photo Gallery.