Half a year. Already.

Hair:
Still light brown with a lot of copper in it. It’s filling in a bit. Her new stuff is pretty straight but my mom reminded me that L and E’s hair was once like that.

Eyes:
All the blue is gone but they are not done changing. I think they will settle into hazel like mine and John’s. 

Teeth:
Still just the two bottom ones.

Eating:
I seemed to have worked out my supply issues by taking fenugreek, blessed thistle and eating oatmeal. I’ve also had formula on hand for the times she won’t settle. She is doing much better which is a relief because I’m not ready to give up breastfeeding quite yet. I also started her on solids a couple of weeks ago. She’s only had rice cereal and oatmeal so far. I need to get my act together about feedings - I really don’t enjoy spoon feeding. It’s a completely different experience with just one baby. I know exzctly how much she eats and how painfully slow she is! With the girls one would “chew” while I fed the other and there was no waiting around. One positive is that the girls have already lost interest in helping feed their sister.

Size:
Her appt and shots are next week. I will update then.

 Sleep:
She did much better this month but is still no sleeping star. She consistently naps for at least 30 mins in the morning. I try and get her to nap with the girls in the afternoon. Somedays are better than others. She’ll sleep by herself but she usually stirs a couple of times and has to be comforted back to sleep. If you miss the comfort window it is hard to settle her again.

Bedtimes are still a bit all over the place but lately she seems to be asleep by 9 for the night. She can also be hard to settle at night but once she gets into her deep sleep she’s fine. She sleeps anywhere between 4 and 6 hours for the first stretch then is up every 3 hours after that. She’s never up for long in the night.

My friend Rachelle said that her daughter Adelle suffers from what they call FOMO (fear of missing out). Claire has the same problem and with two very active sisters there always seems to be something better to do than sleep. She gets really cranky when she’s tired - pretty obvious sleep cues ;)

Things she’s doing this month:
The rolling from belly to back still seems to stump her. She will flip over and play happily on her belly going around in circles but then yells when she’s done. Every once in awhile we find her rolled over but it’s not something she does whenever she feels like it yet.

She is getting very good at sitting. We were given a bumbo seat and I think it really helps them learn to sit. She can sit independently now for long periods of time. You still have to watch her though because she hasn’t figured out how to balance herself and she’ll just fall over or backwards when she’s done.

She loves her bouncer and can turn herself around in it. Her favourite toy is a wind up giraffe that John got her. She giggles and squeals whenever she sees it.

She knows her name.

She will pick everything up, inspect it, chew it, bang it and then throw it.

Her attention span is getting longer. She will sit and listen when Leah and Emma read her stories.

Personality: 
Claire is very social and likes to be part of the action. She is happiest when she can see what’s going on. She likes to yell and talk and she starts to laugh when she gets your attention. She is starting to say mmmmm.

She is very ticklish.

She has never liked to be held face in right from when she was a newborn. She prefers being cradled so she can see what’s going on. The only time she’ll tolerate facing in is when she’s eating and even then she has to check out whats going on a few times a meal.

She could watch her sisters all day long. She sits in the bumbo and watches them eat. She’s happy as can be at the park if she can watch them. She loves being outside.

She loves people and will go to anyone. She’s starting to do the playful smile and pretend shy dive into my neck but she’s back for more right away.

All in all Claire continues to be a very easy going baby. Gone are the days of the newborn lump, but the curious and happy baby that has replaced the lump is still pretty easy to live with. She’s still easy to take places and rarely causes us any trouble.

Leah and Emma continue to enjoy being big sisters. They are good about being quiet when Claire is sleeping or entetaining her when I need a moment to do something. They also enjoy helping (in a useful way) with everything Claire needs. They get protective of her when strange kids try to look at her at the park and have been known to tell random people not to touch their baby sister. They let Claire pull their hair and they are just really sweet with her. One of the sweeter sounds is when we are in the car and they try to get her to laugh. The three of them will laugh and laugh and laugh and it is so cute. Maybe they’ll always be like that!