4 Months Old

Claudia is now 4 months old and she is doing new tricks all the time. She has discovered she can grab her feet, she is consistently rolling over from her tummy to her back, she can raise her head up while on her tummy, and she loves putting toys in her mouth. She is making all kinds of new squeals and sounds and will laugh out loud if you blow raspberries on her bare belly.

She started her first week of daycare and she did very well. The teachers say she is an easygoing baby who hardly ever cries and is able to entertain herself with a toy or mirror. She also likes staring at the other babies and watching all the action around here. Although, she is totally exhausted when she gets home. So instead of a fussy baby in the evenings, we get a content snugly one, so that's a bonus I didn't expect. Being away from her all day makes me really appreciate my time with her in the evenings. This has been a really long exhausting week for the whole family. It's an adjustment to have so many new responsibilities and to balance work, transportation, daycare, cooking, and chores, all while still waking up 1-2 times every night for a feeding. Hopefully Claudia will learn to sleep through the night soon.

Look, she can touch her toes!


Claudia really likes bath time and her ducky.


Off to her first day of "school".

Fun in Seattle with Nana

We had a couple more weeks with Lyn, so we did our best to eat and drink our way through the city and managed to see some sights along the way. We visited Alki Beach, Pike Place Market, and the Woodland Park Zoo, so we were busy. Also, we took a scenic day trip to Whidbey Island, driving over Deception Pass, stopping in Coupville for a street fair, and taking the Clinton-Mukilteo ferry home.

The last week of July was a record breaking one in Seattle. It was in the high 90s for 4 straight days and broke 104 degrees one day. With no air conditioning at home, we were melting! Lyn and Claudia did their best during the day with just a fan and then after work we all packed up and went to the mall for some AC and stayed until closing. It was a nice excuse for us girls to do lots of shopping.

Claudia's newest development is that she rolled over! Just once, but she went from her tummy to her back. Also, we've caught her laughing a few more times, which is so much fun to hear.

Lyn flew back home today and we're already missing her. It has been a wonderful 5 weeks that just went by too quickly. It was so great to see Claudia and her Nana bond and Glen & I enjoyed experiencing parenthood with Mum by our side.

Stripped down to her diaper because it was so hot.


Jason took us on his boat to see the Seafair Blue Angels show.


View of the city from West Seattle.




View from Deception Pass Bridge, looking toward the San Juan Islands.


Waiting for the ferry.


Claudia's first time on a ferry.

Alta Lake Week

We've had a lot of fun these last couple of weeks. Lyn has been watching Claudia during the day and besides the usual eat, poop, and sleep, they've also been playing with toys, going for walks, and Nana has made Claudia a fan of the bathtub. We've all enjoyed spending some quality Banks family time together, and I've really appreciated the extra set of hands to help with housework and other baby responsibilities.

We went for the official "Alta Lake week" and overlapped our stay at the house a few days on either end with Gina & Jeremy and my mom & dad. The motel was filled with our favorite Lierman, Cerna, Gordon, and Craig friends. We went to the Apple Pie Jamboree in Pateros, went swimming at Alta Lake, visited a winery in Chelan, cooled off with a dip in the motel pool, visited with friends, and of course played lots of golf. Did I mention we went through a lot of white wine and Bud Light? The weather was HOT, but we managed well thanks to some nice central air conditioning at the house.

Claudia is getting more squirmy now and loves kicking her legs and grabbing for things, especially my hair. Lyn and I heard her first laugh-out-loud. I was honking the nose on her favorite toy (the whoozit) and every time I did it she laughed. Also, I have some happy news to report. Claudia was diagnosed with mild hip dysplasia when she was a month old, but after monitoring from the Orthopedist, he decided that it corrected itself. We will need to check it with an x-ray at 1-year-old, but other than that, no intervention is needed.

Claudia taking her morning nap in Gina's arms.


Trying out the kiddie pool. Claudia didn't like the cold water and bright sunlight, but at least we made an attempt.


My little lady.


Playing with her friend Hadley.


With Nana in Chelan.

Nana has arrived

Glen's mom Lyn arrived on July 1st to spend 5 weeks with us! We had a relaxing 3-day weekend so that she could recover from her jet lag, mostly just shopping and settling in, but we did celebrate 4th of July with a BBQ and fireworks at my parents' house in Kirkland. Jeremy and my dad both bought some cool stuff at the Indian reservation. I wasn't my usual pyro-self this year now that I'm a mom, but I think the men and Gina really enjoyed themselves. I also started back at work this month and that's been good so far. It hasn't been too difficult to leave Claudia because I know she's at home being well taken care of by her Nana.

Neely and I had our 32nd birthday over the weekend. On Saturday we had beautiful weather, so we took a dip in the pool and then that evening Neely planned a dinner with friends to celebrate. After dinner they all went out dancing too, but it was past my bedtime, so I elected to skip that part. On Sunday, we all went to the Mariner's game, which was a ton of fun. It was Lyn and Claudia's first baseball game. And tomorrow is Glen's birthday and he's going to be even older, 34!

Claudia is 3 months old now. She is doing well sitting up with just a little support, as well as standing up on our laps when we hold her under the arms. She is doing better at bath time with Lyn's encouragement and we even got her to dip her feet in the pool this weekend. She likes to blow spit bubbles, coo, and squeal. She's a bit behind on the rolling over, mostly because she hates being on her tummy and I'm not very good about enforcing tummy-time.

Claudia would rather take a nap than shop, just like her dad.


It's hard to catch a smile on camera, but I got a grin.


Mariner's at Safeco field.


So tall. The height chart starts at 24".

Happy Father's Day

Last weekend was Glen's first Father's Day. All he wanted was to watch golf on TV with his little girl and "have a good food day" so that he did! On Saturday we went out to lunch at Azteca (including Aunt Gina) and then I made him Australian meat pie for dinner, which he could hardly eat because he was so stuffed from lunch. Luckily, it was good as left-overs too. On Sunday, the Olson family had a gathering to honor all of the fathers, so that of course was a good food day too because my mom sure can cook.

This last week we've been busy finishing up projects and chores at home in preparation for Nana to arrive and for me to go back to work. I was able to do several more fun outings with my girlfriends, and attend Brenda's bridal shower and Conner's 3rd birthday. Claudia had her first visit to church and was welcomed very warmly by Pastor Rich and the congregation.

Our baby is learning new things every week. She now makes a variety of squeals and reacts to us when we make silly faces at her. She has learned how to get a couple fingers in her mouth -- let the drooling begin! She is most happy in the mornings and everything seems to amuse her. She does get grumpy in the evenings and we can see her struggling with wanting to play, but being too tired. We've got a good bedtime routine down of swaddling and then walking around the dark bedroom while singing songs to her. Yes, I'm singing, don't laugh -- Claudia hasn't figured out yet that I'm tone deaf. We're still struggling with sleep. She wakes us up 1-2 times every night to eat and then she is up in the morning by 6 or 7am.

Dressed up for Father's Day.


Smile!


Nap time.

So big

Claudia had her 2 month appointment and she's now 11 lbs 3 oz and in the 50th percentile for weight and height. She's outgrown all her newborn clothes and most of the 0-3 month ones are getting snug. Her development is right on track. She is able to track objects, she's starting to grasp soft toys, and her neck control to hold up her head is great. We still have lots of smiles and curiosity. She has started to look at herself in the mirror and she really lights up when she sees me and Glen's faces. She also makes cute noises now like "woo" and "ah goo". Her only problem has been constipation, which has been solved with a little prune juice in her bottle, although it kind of makes her poop explode out, so we're working on finding a balance.

We had 29 days straight without rain in Seattle (we tied the record) only to broken by a rain storm overnight, so Claudia and I have had many fun days enjoying the sun. She got a night with grandpa and grandma so that I could attend my friend Alisa's bachelorette party and Glen could go on his boys weekend to Alta Lake for the quadmanthalon (golf, poker, darts, and pool). I'm proud to say (roll my eyes) that Glen won! We also had a kids party at my mom's work (NW pediatrics therapies) so Claudia could meet all her coworkers. We've had lots of help lately, as Neely watched Claudia one night so Glen & I could go on a hot date, and another night, grandpa and grandma watched her again so we could go to a Seattle Sounders game. The only un-fun thing we had to do this week is I had a colonoscopy. It was just a screening and as expected, I got a clean bill of health for another 2 years.

In the Bumbo.


Playing with her whoozit toy.


I forgot to take photos during the game, but here's the band as we were leaving. They tied 3-3, so it was an exciting game with lots of action.


At Ibiza for Alisa's bachelorette. That's Neely, Katherine, and the bride-to-be!

8 weeks old

We've had a super fun couple of weeks and the weather in Seattle has been amazingly beautiful. We went over to Alta Lake with Ryan & Nora and her two boys. The boys really enjoyed the lake and playing with all my mom's toys at the house. The pool at our condo complex opened, so Amanda & I and the girls hung out one hot day and enjoyed the water. Claudia slept poolside in her carseat most of the time (she's not into water yet), but Victoria loved swimming. Another day, Carey and I and our babies walked Greenlake. And another day, I got to meet Melissa Robbins and Melissa Scott's babies because we all went to the zoo! I think Paige (who is 4) had more fun than the babies.

We've been having some adult fun too. I played my first soccer game in 9 months. It was a blast, but I had quite a few sore muscles after that. Glen got the opportunity to go on Jason's boat a couple times and cruise around Lake Union. And we attended our friends Alex & Laura's wedding last Saturday.

Claudia is growing and changing so much. She's now smiling a lot and does this silent giggle. She is holding her head up fairly well now, although still somewhat of a bobble-head, and she can bear weight on her legs to stand up on our laps. She likes to stare at us and focus on objects around her. Also, she loves to swing her right arm and hit toys. Hopefully she will learn how to use her left arm soon.

Alex & Laura's wedding reception.


Trying to steal the spotlight from Alex & Laura with her cuteness.


The bouncy seat is a good place for Claudia to sit while I do chores.


She can whack this ball for about 30 minutes before she tires of it.


She ate too much and fell asleep in the Boppy pillow.