Clover Loves Books

Clover has had books read to her everyday since we brought her home from the hospital.  She probably couldn't even see some of the pages for awhile,  but we did it any way.  Johnny brings her new books from the library almost every week, and we buy her ones that are easy for her to hold or have something really special about them.  The Lamaze books and Taggies are great because they are soft and washable.  I like the board books that can be used almost like flash cards.   The ones that have pictures of things she would recognize and then the word for the object.  Cat, sock, banana, etc. 

While shopping this weekend, we were at Babies R Us and Johnny held out a nice toy for Clover to see. She smiled really big and got excited.  He held it close to her and she reached out and grabbed the booklet that was attached to it and started thumbing through the pages in delight.  He even got it on video, so hopefully, we will post it soon.

Clover also loves to eat.  She eats mostly organic, but we also do conventional baby food.  She has started feeding herself some finger foods, like banana and the little gerber snacks...fruit puffs and now little cheese puff snacks.  This weekend, Johnny and I had just finished eating our lunch and he was holding Clover.   I asked Clover if she was hungry and signed the word "eat".  She pointed to Johnny's plate, which still had some scraps on it.  This was the first time she has pointed at an object to communicate with us.  Johnny picked up a piece of fresh pineapple and said, "Is this what you want?".  The took the pacifier out of her mouth and threw it on the ground and tried to grab the fruit.  We didn't give it to her, but put her in her highchair and fed her something else.

9 Months Today

It is hard to believe Clover has reached 9 months already.  I was nostalgic and looking through the photos and videos.  It is amazing how much she has learned in such a short time.  She has changed our lives and is such a joy.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!!

Happy Father's Day, Johnny.  You are the best daddy to Clover.  She loves you so much and so do I.  You are so good with her.  She is so peaceful and happy when she is with you.  I know you will always have a special bond with her.  She is very lucky to have you for a father.

 Here Clover is getting ready to eat a banana.  She recognizes the word 'banana' and has tried to say the word when she has seen photos of a banana.  She said, "nun-nun-nun".

So far so good

She even likes the peel.

Baby's Night Out
This week, we took Clover out for a stroll in Downtown Decatur where we saw our friend, Kim Stone performing in front of Vittone's Pizza.  Clover is enjoying her juice, the music and just relaxing.

Just In Time for Father's Day

Clover was jumping in her Baby Einstein Jumper and her dad was sitting next to her.  She stopped jumping and looked at him with a sweet smile and said, "Daddy".  Not dada.  I can only imagine she was just so happy to be with her dad and she wanted him to know.  I was moved because it was so sweet and she said it so clear.  Later that day, I brought her into the kitchen and sat her down in her high chair.  She was looking for Johnny.  She turned to see him in the other room and started waving.  Then she said, "Heeey Daa-dee!" while she was waving.  It made our day. 

I can tell she wants to learn more words now.  She has lots of books and many are the picture books so they can learn the words.  Today, I noticed she was listening very hard to the words.  She is trying hard to repeat some words, and she has "moo" down pretty good.  (Daddy, Momma/Mommy, Moo, Yay, Hey)  She understands lots of other words (no, milk, bottle, baby, Grandma, book).  And she recognizes songs and tries to "sing" along by just opening her mouth and making noise.  Sometimes, she seems on key. 

Ava's Birthday Week

This weekend, we went to see Clover's cousin Ava at her groovy Birthday party at Chippie's in Albertville. I guess you would say it was a tie dye themed party and Ava turned 7! We had so much fun with all of Clover's family on Johnny's side. She was so excited to see every one. She got to bounce some with her Meme and her cousin Fox. She loved it when the lights went out and then the disco ball and spot lights came on with music so all the kids could dance. Later, we went to Ava's house to visit with all her aunts, uncles, cousins and Meme and Papa.

Clover has been doing some really cute new things this week. She will grab my face and ram her nose up against mine and move it from side to side giving me eskimo kisses. She has also started doing that to her little stuffed animal, Duckie, that Grandma got for her on Easter. She is crawling pretty fast now, but still her stomach doesn't come off the ground. She likes to take off and when you come towards her she will laugh as she tries to escape.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a nice Memorial Day weekend. We were going to go out to the Daikin Festival on Friday night, but it rained so we took Clover for a night ride and daddy and I got a Chiggie Burggie. We got up the next morning at 5am to take Clover to see the balloons out at Point Mallard. My brother, Michael was going to ride up with his friends that morning, but the weather didn't allow it. We did get to see some of the commercial ballons get blown up and tethered for a bit.

Saturday afternoon, we took Clover to St. Ann's Seafood Festival and Johnny and I had the craw fish. Later that night, we took Clover to a party at the home of our friend Liz in Athens. We had a blast playing American Idol Karaoke. Clover tried to sing along and she clapped for the very first time and said, "YAY". Clover loves music so much and loves to clap.

We spent most of the rest of our weekend shopping for a new crib and doing some baby proofing around the house. She had a crib with a drop down side and those are all now being recalled. Johnny got her a really cute new crib that can later turn into a toddler bed and even a full size bed when she is out of her toddler bed. I didn't have my own full size bed until I was in my 30's. I thought I had arrived.

Clover turns 8 months this Saturday

I can't believe we are already 4 months from Clover's birthday.  That will be something I should start planning for soon.

Clover is getting better with crawling..yesterday she crawled a little higher, not on her stomach as much.  She went pretty far from the middle of the living room to the kitchen.  She went over to a low drawer and opened and tried to look in it.  She is a curious one for sure.  Then she shut it back. She hit her hands on the hard floor for a bit and then she got scared of being there on the floor and I had to pick her up and put her on the carpet in the living room.

She is also talking a little bit more.  She hasn't said mommy any more.  She said daddy once last week, but now says "dadadadadada".  This morning she said "mama dada" and was waving her hand.  She does say "hey" and "hi" and sometimes "baa", when she is waving her hand. 

This afternoon, I walked outside with her in my arms to get some fresh air.  There was a toddler standing out there with his dad.  He was a tiny little thing and looked just a little taller than Clover.  Clover went crazy for this kid.  She was so excited every time he glanced in our direction.  I think she loves him.

My first Mother's Day

I got to sleep in on Mother's Day and  had a really nice Mother's Day with Clover, Johnny and my mom.  We all went with my dad and brother Michael to brunch at the Westin Hotel.  We strolled around Bridge Street afterward and I found a locket that I liked.  After we got home, Johnny gave me some gifts and one was the locket that I saw, but he had already gotten it.  That was a nice surprise.  It was a great day and I couldn't have possibly had a better one.  I feel very lucky.  Happy Mother's Day, Mom and Linda!

Clover had a good day too.  She liked going out and when we got home, she got to play with her new jumper.  She seems to really love it.  We think it will help her build up her strength to crawl better off of her belly and build muscles so she can sit up.

Friday night, we went to Relay for Life and had a really good time. Clover got to see some live dogs for the first time.  After a few laps around the track, we decided on some hamburgers and threw a blanket in the grass and played with Clover.  We had to leave after the music started because it was way too loud for her ears.

Clover is a babbling away right now and ready for me to get her up from her nap.  I'll be posting a few photos later.

Clover's Favorite Word

While I was at work today, Clover said "baby".  Grandma King was there to hear it.  I am not surprised because I can tell that is Clover's favorite word.  Sometimes, when I say the word 'baby', she will just smile really big.  So when I asked her to say baby for me today, she tried.  It sounded like baby to me. 

Back To Work

This last week, I started a temp job working for the Census.  One good thing about the job is that I can make my own hours, as long as I get the work done.  So, it is great to have Grandma King available to take good care of her while I am away.  I had training last week and Clover seemed a little hurt by me going gone so much.  Over the weekend, her dad and I took Clover  to her cousins' (Collin and Cory) band concert.  Clover enjoyed the people, the music and the clapping...and she got to see lots of family.  Then we went to the Alabama Crawfish Company, in Huntsville for a early dinner. 

Johnny picked up some baby signing videos and we watched them.  I started using some signing with her this morning and she paid close attention to my signs as I spoke to her.  We are working on these words right now:  eat, milk, bed, diaper, mommy, daddy, grandma, grandpa, milk, and hungry.

Clover's First Words

Yesterday, Clover and I were hanging out at home.  She was laying in the floor, looking at the ceiling and babbling.  In the middle of the babble, she said, "Mommy".  She said it perfectly.  I thought I was having audible hallucinations.  Later, my mother came over and was sitting with her while they looked at a book. My mom told her there was the cow and the cow goes "moo".  Clover pointed to a cow and she said, "moo".  I wasn't expecting her to say anything for a few more months.  She is not sitting up on her own yet, but she has already started talking.  Thats my girl!  We are so proud of her.

Crawling!

Over the weekend, Clover crawled for the first time.  She is still on her belly, but she is moving her arms in front of her.  It looked like she was swimming on the carpet.  The first time she did it, she moved really fast to get something she wanted.  Grandma and Grandpa King stopped by for a visit on Sunday and she crawled for them too. 

I tried my hand at making homemade baby food.  I got some organic butternut squash, organic bananas and some organic apple juice.  I baked the squash in a pan with a little water in the bottom for 1.5 hours at 350 degrees.  I peeled and mashed the squash and then put it in 4oz jars.  When it was time for dinner, I took a jar and put the squash in a bowl and about a third of a banana and mixed in some apple juice to make the consistency a little runny.  At first, she didn't like it.  She has liked everything we have given her so far.  I think the consistency was too still a little too chunky.  She made the funniest face when she tried it.  She really made us laugh.  Johnny got some great video of it and if we put in online, I will post a link later.  She did like it when she get bites with thinner consistency and she never refused to eat it.  Today, I will use a food processor instead of mashing by hand to make sure it has an even consistency.  Johnny also got another book from the library called 'Top 100 Baby Purees' from British author Annabel Karmel.  There are many recipes that I want to try out. Many look like meals I could prepare for us and make extra to puree for Clover to have for the week.  I love meal time with Clover.  It is so much fun feeding her and she is so happy.

This week, I will be going back to work temporarily.  I am not looking forward to being away from Clover all day.  Luckily, her Grandma King will be taking good care of her and Clover will love that.

Clover Turns 7 months this Week!

Clover is changing so fast.  This week she  has gotten more vocal, babbling in bed after she wakes up. I wouldn't say it is her first word, but she is saying "hay" a lot.  She is also making funny grunting and squealing noises. She is moving around a lot quicker, but not quite crawling yet. We are working on baby proofing all the rooms.  She is growing out of all of her clothes that I hoped she would be able to wear this spring and already wearing and almost too big for the summer clothes that I have already bought.  She is taking longer naps and sleeping even better than ever at night.  She gets a little cranky if she doesn't get a good nap. 

Johnny got Clover a Vtech Move and Crawl Ball http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2373386 .  She really likes it and she has other Vtech products that uses the same voice and some and sayings, so it didn't take much to get her interested in it.  When you turn it on, it teases the child to move forward and it will move a little, kind of a little foward and in a circle.  She was all over the place.  She is starting to put her arms in the right position to crawl. 

Clover is showing lots of expression when she is pleased with herself when she learns to play with a toy properly.  When she is happy to see someone, she makes really funny faces and shakes her arms and legs.  She is loving her high chair and is a really good eater.  Soon she will be eating real bananas and graham crackers.  She still hasn't cut any teeth, but it seems it wont be much longer. 

Ready to crawl

For a long time now, Clover has been trying to crawl.  She has strong legs and moves around on the floor by rolling around or rocking to get closer to where she wants to be.  The other day, she was asleep in her crib and in her sleep, she was on her hands and knees with her head up trying to move around in her crib.  She just isn't quite sure how to move her arms yet.  We are looking into some toys that help with the arm movement in crawling. 

This weekend, Clover got a new high chair.  We have been researching them since before she was born.  I was set on getting an old fashion looking wooden one that would match my dinning room set.  We really hated the looks of all the new ones...bulky, bright colors, lots of padding that would have to be cleaned, legs that took up a lot of room.  After doing the research, it seemed that newer meant better for comfort and safety.  We also wanted a big tray.  Finally, we decided on something that I think is going to be perfect for us.  It is the Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair.  It is a booster seat with a detachable back with a pretty cover and nice sized tray.  It is great for me, because it wont take up any extra space because it sits in one of my current chairs.  Clover used the high chair for the first time this morning and she loved it. I could tell she was very comfortable and she was so happy sitting in it.  She smiled and banged on the tray as if she was checking it out for sturdiness. I'll post a pic of her in it in my next post and hopefully we will have video of her crawling soon.

Easter Weekend

We had a great holiday weekend with Clover. She got to see all of her relatives. Saturday we went to Guntersville to her Uncle Mike's and Aunt Angel's house. We were going to participate in the community egg hunt, but was late. We did make it just in time for the "Most Beautiful Baby" contest and Clover won first prize. She was so excited to see all of her family on her dad's side. After the contest, we went over to Piggly Wiggly to see the Easter Bunny. The pig was there as well. After lunch, many went to Ace's ball game, but Clover and I stayed behind and spent time with little Fox (15 months), Tommy and Rochelle. After the game, everyone came back and visited while Mike prepared dinner. It was delicious. Clover loved seeing everyone and I could tell she felt connected to everyone there. She really loved it when Ava would come over and play with her. She wasn't shy at all. She also didn't take a nap because she didn't want to miss anything. Besides Easter, we were also celebrating her grandma MeMe's birthday and her cousin Madison's birthday too. I made an experimental dessert that turned out pretty good. It was a lemon cake with lemon frosting, pastel green sugar sprinkles and fruity jelly bellys on top.

On Sunday, we spent some of the day with the King family. After going out to brunch, we went to Uncle Michael's house and hunted Easter eggs (Grandma King's annual hunt) and had dessert. Clover got lots of eggs some with candy and some with money to start her savings. Afterwards we came back home and let Clover see and play with all of her gifts from the weekend...including the ones from the Easter bunny. Here are a few pictures from our weekend.

Before the Weekend

I wanted to post before the weekend because I figure there will be a lot to blog about with all of our Easter Weekend festivities.

Clover is completely weened now and is eating baby food many times a day now. She is also drinking a few ounces of apple juice mixed with a few ounces of water. I was told that she should be weened from the bottle by 12 months and to introduce a sippy cup starting now with juice. I got a gerber training cup and tried to get her to drink from it. She looked at me like I was crazy. She tasted the juice and made a "yucky" face and then threw the cup down. I picked it back up and tried to get her to take it again and she just pushed it away each time.

We are going to have a busy weekend, looking for the Easter Bunny to get a picture, going to a few family events. It will be lots of fun. Clover can't wait see see all of her family.

14 pounds, 25 inches long

Last week Clover had her 6 month doctor's appointment. She weighed 14 pounds and measured 25 inches long. Clover was really good for the visit and wasn't too upset after her vacccines. Her doctor was able to check her vision with kind of a miniture version of what adults have to get their prescription checked. He dialated her eyes and then the nurse took a hand-held device that she held up like she was taking her picture. Her vision was "perfect". The doctor explained that he is the only pediatrician in town that does it and the reason he does is because he was legally blind as a child and never knew until he was in high school. Checking her eyesight this early can help prevent blindness and even correct some poor vision. I love her doctor and feel really good about our choice as Clover's pediatrician. She has had a little bit of a cough this week which I probally gave her. The nurse suggested the yellow Triaminic for Cough and Congestion. It has helped and Clover is sleeping much better. The nurse explained that most stores do not carry it after it was taken off the market to be reformulated (you don't have to sign for it anymore). She said Publix and Krogers have it. We got it at Publix.

We were able to get out more during the nice weather this week. I took her to see our neighbor, Sara. Sara was really good to me when I was pregnant. She is always checking on us to see if we need anything and helped me keep up my yard during my pregnacy. She even gets my garbage can in position for me before I can get out and do it. Did I mention that Sara is in her eighties?

Clover got to spend more time with Grandma while I got my taxes done and went to the doctor. Grandma got her outside some and enjoyed the nice weather.

Over the weekend we took her shopping to look for an activity center and high chair. We checked out the Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory in Huntsville. I was really impressed with the selection of unique accessories that you would normally not find in local stores like Target or Babies 'R Us. Her dad got her a Jenny Jump Up and a pair of dress shoes for easter. Then we went to Babies 'R Us. Clover had never been to a toy store and she was so excited. When we showed her a toy she really liked, she would shake her arms and legs and smile. We ended up getting her a cell phone and remote control. The remote was for kids 18 months and up, but I read reviews on it and many parents had gotten it for their child before 6 months and had very good experiences. It looks very much like my remote. She went crazy for it in the store. We will give it to her on Easter. We looked at activity centers and high chairs, but want to do more research. They activity centers are really expensive for the amount of time she is going to use them, but she does need to be sitting upright more than she is now. I assembled her Jenny Jump Up when we got home and she tried it out. She didn't seem very interested in it yet, but she was exhausted from our day.

Vote for Clover, Baby Face Contest

Please give Clover your vote.  A monthly prize is given out.  If she wins, she would get a $50 savings bond!  You can also ask your friends and our extended family to vote.  If you would like to send out an email to your friends and family, give them the following link:
 http://whnt.upickem.net/engine/Details.aspx?p=V&c=11095&s=3185792&i=1&m=X#SD
You can also leave a message for others to read.

thanks

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY, CLOVER

Tomorrow at 5:01pm, Clover will have been in this world for 6 months.  It is hard to believe that she has been in my life for 15 months, if you include the pregnacy.  For some reason, early in my pregnancy, I was convinced that I was going to have a boy.  I would have been good with having a boy, but I really hoped the baby would be a girl.  I even painted her nursery blue before I knew for sure. At 18 weeks, we went to UAB for genetic testing, ultrasounds and an amniocentesis.  We had good news from premlinary tests, so we decided against having an amnio.  When we were having the ultrasound, I kept waiting for the technician to tell me I was having a boy.  She said, "See, here are the kidneys."  I heard, "See, here you see its a boy."  I looked at Johnny and told him she said it was a boy.  Then she said, "No, I said here are the kidneys."  Then she asked me if I wanted to know the sex and she showed us we were having a girl.  That was the happiest moment in my pregnancy. I cried for most of the rest of the visit and we left and I started calling all my family as soon as we got to the car.

Now that our little girl is here and 6 months old, she has brought more joy to me than I could have imagined.  She has been fairly easy to care for and has been very healthy.  She is very easy going and gentle.  She loves her books and loves to play.  She is a lot of fun and has a good sense of humor.  She smiles constantly and is just a happy baby.  She has her moments where she can be a little reserved and shy.  Sometimes she seems to be just taking it all in, observing and thinking about everything.  I'm wondering if we have just gotten really lucky that she hasn't had colic or gone through a rough period that would make my days and nights miserable.  Then I wonder if maybe that is still to come.  She has slept in her crib since she was 3 weeks old and usually sleeps at least 10 hours straight for the last 3 months.  I still don't sleep as much as I would like, because I get up and check on  her about 3 times in the middle of the night to make sure she is still breathing.   I will probably do that until the day she leaves for college.

Erin Go Bragh! Pictures from St Paddy's Day

Clover's First Laptop

This week we saw lots of changes in Clover.  She has been very quiet this week and more shy than normal around people she doesn't see very often. She seems to be spending a lot of time in thought.  I wonder what she is thinking.  She has also had some trouble sleeping a few nights and has gotten to sleep in my bed.  I think it may have had something to do with a bad thunderstorm we had.

Now, when she wakes up, instead of crying to tell me she is awake, she will look at her musical seahorse...for a long time.  We haven't gotten her any crib toys yet, but have been looking into them.  Johnny had ordered her a really nice thing called Symphony of Lights.  It is a sun with a smiley face that has different colors of rays.  You squeeze the a ray and it plays music.  When the toy came, it had a sideways smiley face instead of a straight on smiley face.  They changed the look of it completely.  He sent it back and is trying to find an old one.  She has been fascinated by her relefection in the mirror or other glass in the house. She is getting better with eating baby food and better at waiting for a refill on a bottle.  I think her eyes may be turning from blue to green.  It is hard to tell because some days they will look very blue and some days greenish blue.

Last week I saw a little laptop from Vtech that just seemed what she needed.  It has big buttons and plays music and lights up. It seems to be the most simple out of all the toy laptops.  We got it for her this weekend and she immediately got very excited.  She doesn't usually get excited over anything right away.  She knows Mommy and Daddy have laptops and she has tried to play with ours, but  now she has one too.  She quickly learned how to push the buttons and play with the mouse.  The more she played with it, the more excited she got.  It made me so happy to see her excited about it and even more happy to see her learning from it.

Sunshine On My Shoulders Makes Me Happy

I'm really happy that  the sun is out and we have been able to get out of the house more with Clover.  She hasn't gotten out very much because of the flu going around or the weather and now we are ready for some fun.  This weekend we got out to a park in town and had a quick lunch and a stroll.  It was down by the river and a little windy, so we had to get going.  Today it is in the 70's and we got out for a bit.   We went and checked out a nursery for childcare for when I go back to work.  The daycare was nice and had such a peaceful enviroment for infants.  The other babies there were so cute and well developed.  I think Clover will benefit from me going back to work so she can have the kind of interaction that she needs full time.

This last week, Clover has really stepped up her babbling.  She is making lots of new sounds with her mouth and has been very curious about different noises. When she hears a door open  in another room, she looks to see who is coming.  She is really loving her books and will look at them on her own for a good while.  She holds the back of the book up with her feet sometimes. Clover has been sleeping for 10-11 hours a night, eating rice cereal and a little fruit and vegetables every day. She loves bananas the most, but eats everything she has tried.  Johnny brought me some books on making baby food from scratch and I am going to start that this week. She is sitting up really good now in her bumbo chair.

She is also outgrowing a lot of her baby gear.  She is getting too big for her swing and her bouncy seat.  I guess that means it is time for more new stuff.  I decided I am getting her a v-tech laptop for Easter.  I'm still looking for a good toy cell phone for her age.  I haven't found anything that I really like, but she needs one soon because she is so interested in mine.

Clover had a few visits this last week. Uncle Sean, Auntie Lisa and Grandma King all came.  We went to visit Uncle Michael and cousin Olivia...we left with a jogging stroller.  We also ran into a few friends when we were out and about for lunch. Clover loves to visit with everybody. 

When I was 4 years old I got my first music album.  It was Poems, Prayers and Promises from John Denver.  Sunshine on my Shoulders has been on 20 other albums since then.  This was one of the songs I loved over 36 years ago.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

If I had a day that I could give you
I’d give to you a day just like today
If I had a song that I could sing for you
I’d sing a song to make you feel this way

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

If I had a tale that I could tell you
I’d tell a tale sure to make you smile
If I had a wish that I could wish for you
I’d make a wish for sunshine all the while
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high
Sunshine almost all the time makes me high

If You're Lucky Enough to be Irish...You're Lucky Enough

This week I am thinking a lot about Clover's first St. Patrick's day.  It is my favorite holiday and I don't have any special traditions to celebrate being Irish.  In fact, we really don't need a holiday to celebrate being Irish, we should do it everyday...LOL. 

My hope is that Clover knows about all of her ancestry from both parents.  I have mostly all Irish from both of my parents, so she will learn a lot about Ireland and hopefully I will take her there when she is old enough to appreciate the beauty of the country side, the castles and old churches.  Until then, I will expose her to the music, the dances, the food and the stories from the Irish.

Today I was thinking about what kinds of traditions I would like to start with Clover on St. Patrick's Day.  St. Patricks Day is always on March 17.  This year that falls on a Wednesday.  We will probably go to the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Huntsville, have lunch at an Irish Pub with Grandma and Clover can have green milk!

Then I thought about all the Irish sayings and poems that will bring a tear to your eye after having a few Irish beers.  So I decided to write one for her.  Here it is:

Autumn Clover

I loved my little baby, since the day I knew about her
I could feel her when she moved, I thought she was a dancer
She has no idea how special she is to all of those around her
She's more than an Irish Rose, she's our little Autumn Clover.
Your Irish eyes are mine, though others may claim them
Your smile melts my heart, your frame is thin and tall
You are my hope, faith, and love that came on the first day of Fall
You are never any trouble, never any bother
You're my little girl I call Autumn Clover.

5 months today

 

I'm watching Clover sleep while I am typing this entry.  She changes so much each day.  In the last week, she started really digging baby food.  She also is drinking more and more and seems to be having a growth spurt...suddenly she can fit into many of her 6 month clothes...just in time for spring.  She has started holding out her arms to be picked up, rolling completely over and sometimes more than one complete roll at a time.  She loves her playpen and has started gathering her toys around her while on her stomach and holding herself up with her arms.  She will probably start crawling soon.  I have also found that she will fall asleep with her arms in the air and sleep like that without letting them fall down.  Grandpa King had his 68th birthday this week and we went to celebrate at the King house...ham and bean soup and chocolate cake.  Clover had milk and got to play with grandma for hours.  She fell alseep immediately when we got home and slept for 11 hours.

Happy Valentine's Day 2010

This is one of Clover's pictures she had taken last week.  She has changed a lot in this last week.  She is holding her head up much easier.  She had her 4 month doctor's appointment and had more vaccinations.  She was so good and didn't fuss a bit. She weighed 11 lbs 1oz and was 24.5 inches long.  Yesterday, we were watching and listening to an opera at home and she started "singing".  She was really holding notes diliberately and had a heart felt expression on her face.  Today, while we are having our Valentine's feast of ribeye and lobster,  Clover is going to have her first solid foods of rice cereal and possibly a vegetable...of course, pictures will follow:)  For Valentines day, she is getting a lamaze cloth book and Sophie the Giraffe. a really nice teething toy that is made out of natural rubber.

Happy 2010

I can't believe it is already February.  Clover is now 4 months old and learning lots of new things.  She has been laughing up a storm and has started holding a small bottle.  She is more comfortable laying on the floor than being held and is holding up her neck for longer periods of time.  Her dad got her a pack n play for Christmas and she has started to enjoy spending a little time in it everyday, playing or looking at one of her cloth books.  She has also started making a funny face, with her nose scrunched up and a gummy smile.  I hope to get a good pic of that to post before she stops doing it.  She likes hearing herself make singing noises. She likes the attention she gets when she does it. Here are a few pics from January.

Baby's First Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas, with Clover being the center of our joy.  She developed a lot over the holidays. She is humming, grabbing, holding, and trying really hard to talk and sing.  She is holding her head up very good, and doesn't liked to be craddled so much.  She has let out a few giggly sounds and is just on the verge of a full blown laugh. Her smiles are getting bigger and longer.  She loves all the toys she got for Christmas. Her are a few pics of our first Christmas with Clover.

Christmas gifts from Santa

 

Daddy helping Clover with her new ball!

This ball is great for little fingers to hold.

This is her slumber bear.  It makes sounds like she is in the womb and has a little blanket that captures her mother's scent.  She loves the blanket.

Here is her teething rabbit.  It is really easy for her to hold and cuddle.

with her PaPa

in her bassinet while mommy bakes

playing peekaboo

in her new dress

Our precious Autumn Clover.