Month One (and a week and a few days)

Claire, this is for you.

My goal is to try and document all of your milestones every month. Unfortunately I'm a bit behind the first month and being that my mind is mush I'm going to make this more of a bullet-point type list.

I've never held or been around a newborn before, so one of the really cool things to watch develop are your eyes. During your first week one eye would go left, the other would take a sharp turn to the up-right. I've never seen eyes do that before and the nurse told us this was due to lack of motor skills. After the initial 1.5 weeks, you worked your eyes out to where they would go in the same direction. YAY! Although one eye still looks a little wall-eyed, but we're thinking that because you still have some eye skills left to develop.

One activity that is highly recommended is tummy time since it is forbidden for babies to sleep on their belly. "They" believe that contributes to SIDS. I'm not really sure that it does, but "they" had beaten the thought enough into my being that I am truly paranoid about allowing you to sleep that way. So, tummy time is recommended to help strengthen your neck and shoulder muscles. And guess what... you do NOT like tummy time at all. I've never seen a baby get so frustrated. It's as if you know what needs to be done and because you can't do it perfectly you just start fussing and crying and getting frustrated beyond belief. Now, when you're lying/sleeping on our chest your a bit calmer and will hold that neck up time and time again. Needless to say, we've learn to enjoy our "chest" time because it's the only way we're going to get you to exercise your muscles.

During the last two weeks leading up to your one month of life, you've refused to sleep during the day, which doesn't allow mamma to get her nap time in, which in turn leaves mamma in a fragile state leading to an emotional breakdown based on sheer exhaustion. And I know that are only one month old, but I totally believe that you know -- on some cosmic level -- that when I desire a nap. This is because as soon as my head hits the pillow and I start to fall into a nice, peaceful sleep I start to hear *WHHIIIINNNNEEEE* *CHOKE* *SHRILL CRY OF BLOODY MURDER*. Ummm.. didn't I just put you down 5 minutes ago and weren't you zonked out cold? So I retrieve you from your crib of burden only to have you fall asleep on me, making my sleep next to impossible. *grumble* *grumble*. Thanks Claire. I love you too.

Ah yes, and your cry. Dadda and I have tried hard to keep your cries to a minimum because the completely-ramped-and-ready-to-shatter-glass cry is the funniest yet most disturbing cry ever. You could seriously be the voice for our home alarm. You sound like Yoko Ono singing on the Imagine album. Yet much louder and much more shrill. It amazes me that your lungs and voice box can produce such a sound. Especially when compared to all of the cooing and gurgling noises you make throughout the day. Claire, you are a talker. You talk while being fed, you talk in your sleep, you talk to just talk. I couldn't imagine where you got that from. Dad is going to have his ears full when you start speaking words. Between you and me he won't get a break from the bambling.

On the downside, we discovered you get gassy very easily. We've had quite a few nights where you couldn't get to sleep. Mylicon and Colic tablets have become our best friends. It would help if you burped when we try to get you to burp, but there are times where you are stubborn and refuse to let it out. I guess you enjoy holding it in because you know that will keep us up with you and we can stay up all night as a family. Oh the joys of no sleep. Because it makes for a cranky mamma, dadda and baby. Ollie, on the other hand, goes and hides. He's fortunate that way.

Happy one month baby-girl. I'll try and be on time for your next update.