Claire is 1 Month Old!

Claire has had a busy first month of life! Here are some recent pictures.

Claire has begun to smile at people! Here she is smiling at her mommy.

Looking stylish in a matching lavender onesie and bib. Sleeping peacefully in Grandma's arms.

Claire Elise

So how and why did we pick her name??

Amanda has French in her background and has always wanted a French sounding name for a daughter. We wanted an Irish name if baby was a boy or a Bible name- somehow we were afraid baby would get teased with the names Zephaniah or Hezekiah.

Claire- means Smart; Bright; Clear

Elise- means Soft-mannered; Consecrated to God

When I saw the meaning of Elise, I knew that had to be her middle name.

Consecrate means:

To declare or set apart as sacred; Dedicated to a sacred purpose

We fully acknowledge that she is a blessing and a gift from God.

We believe God has a wonderful plan for Claire's life

and we pray that she will follow His leadings in her life.

Claire no longer fits into her newborn onesies, which makes me sad.
I can't believe how quickly time is going already! They grow up so fast!

Claire sleeping in her Swaddle Me.

This piece of fabric is essential for keeping our little baby asleep,

otherwise she startles herself and wakes up.

I can't believe it has been a month already! Maybe the lack of sleep, constant feedings, and days running together have made it go by so quickly. One thing about Claire that I wanted to share is that she often sounds like a baby penguin, especially when she is waking up. Also, she loves to have her hands up by her face. While she is eating, I constantly have to move her fingers out of her eyes. She often pokes herself right in the eye!

The joke in our family has been the grandparents constantly saying, "She's such a good baby!" This was because whenever they were around her, she was sleeping peacefully in someone's arms. They never saw or heard her cry, well... She has been a lot fussier lately. Scott is very creative and has found ways to soothe her crying. White noise seems to quiet her- especially the vacuum cleaner and sometimes a hair dryer. Yesterday while cooking, I put her next to the running hair dryer and in 10 minutes or so she was finally sleeping. Scott realized that making a monotonous sound will stop her crying (think the annoying sound Jim Carrey makes in Dumb and Dumber.) So if you come over or call us, we may not hear you over the sound of our increasing electric bill!

Little Claire wants to send a Birthday shout out and hug today to Aunt Gail in Georgia!

Good Night! -well I'm sure it will be for most of you. I'll be up nursing, changing poopie diapers in the dim night light, dodging spit up, and gazing upon my beautiful daughter, all while trying to follow the popular advice to "Cherish/Enjoy Every Moment!"

God Bless You- Amanda