Our sweet Clara Rose is 4 months old. I think that I forgot how much I adore this age. She is so interactive and smiley, but not yet mobile. She notices everyone, laughs, smiles, coos, cries to get our attention, tries to grab her brothers when they play with her. She brings so much joy to our family.
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| tummy time |
Clara's is looking more and more like a girl and less like a baby. It's staggering to me how much she has changed since when she was born. Her hair is continuing to get longer, except for where she rubs it a little in the back while she sleeps. Her cheeks are large and round. Her big brown eyes sparkle when she smiles, especially at her dad.
Clara is really strong. Even family members have remarked at how strong she is for her age. She can stand up for at least a minute straight while holding into your fingers. She can sit for short periods of time while assisted. She has a strong grip and gives mom the crab claw on her neck while she is nursing. And, don't let her near your hair. It's hard to get it out of her fingers. She can also plank fairly well. Clara has started rolling onto her side from her back. She tucks her little knees up to her tummy and turns. She hasn't quite been able to make it all the way onto her tummy. She has only been able to roll onto her back from her tummy one time, so it must have been a fluke.
She has had a few days of being fussy. It typically has stemmed from not getting long enough naps during the day. She typically takes a one hour nap in the morning and a two hour nap in the afternoon. If she takes a shorter afternoon nap, she gets fussy in the evenings and has a hard time settling herself down to sleep. We are just slowly working through it and know that not every day will be perfect with her.
With the weather being nicer, we have spent more time outdoors with Clara than we ever have. She has enjoyed walks to the park, play dates, and hanging out in the carrier in the back yard. It is so nice that spring is almost here!
This month we were blessed to have family in town to celebrate Clara's baptism. We were immeasurably blessed to have her join us as part of the church and that God chose her to be part of his family. It was a fun weekend with lots of snuggles with family members, a trip to the German Village, hanging out in Uptown Westerville, and her first trip to the zoo.
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| the baptism |
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| our family |
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| clara and gramma |
We have also been celebrating the season of Lent. While it has been challenging to go above an beyond our bible reading and giving up something, we have also tried to serve others. We have primarily made meals for others, baked bread for our neighbors, and mom took pictures for a friend. We have also been going through our resurrection eggs and have tried to learn more about what it means for Jesus dying for our sins.
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| in her baptism gown |
It has been another incredible month of growth and we look forward to watching her grow.
-eric & anna
