Well, its been quite a while since I last wrote, and quite a bit has happened since then. I have great intentions to write, but I can usually find other things that always need to get done instead. Time seems to get away from me much easier these days.
First of all, Claire took her first airplane trip to Colorado for Christmas. She was great for most of the flight, and just got a little fussy at the end. At that point, we were all a little fussy thanks to our non-reclining seats in the last row. We were very happy to finally land, and also very happy to see the rest of Mike’s family.
We spent a great week with the Artz Grandparents, uncles, and extended family. Everyone got together for (extended) family Christmas and Claire Welcoming, complete with tons of food and cake.
Christmas proper was spent as it normally is at the Artz household: in pajamas. Claire definitely received the most presents of anyone in the family, and was responsible for most of the hoarding, as she wasn’t actually able to open her own gifts. We enjoyed our traditional Christmas meal (Night Before French Toast and Egg Casserole), and settled in for a long day of napping, playing, and nothing. It was wonderful.
Before we left, we had some professional family pictures taken, which I will scan and upload in the near future. Stay tuned.
The flight back from Colorado was uneventful, and Claire was perfect the whole way. We spent the next day (Sunday) unpacking and generally preparing for the week to come, as Susan returned to work that Monday. Grandma Mitchell had agreed to babysit until we could work out permanent babysitting, which was a huge comfort when Susan left for work on Monday morning.
The following weekend (just after New Year’s), we took a short weekend trip to New York to visit several of Mike’s friends, one of whom had just returned from China. We managed to hit a few excellent places to eat while we were there, as well as checking out the dinosaur fossils in the Natural History Museum, a favorite of both Mike and Susan. Claire was well behaved the entire trip, and even Mike’s friends agreed that she was “one of the cuter babies” around.
After we returned from New York, we analyzed our finances and took stock of our priorities, and decided that we would both prefer Susan to stay home and be Claire’s full-time mom. She put in her two week’s notice, finished up her existing projects, and is now enjoying Claire during the day. Susan thought that she would have more time than she does (Claire seems to eat it, along with everything else), but we both feel so blessed that we had this option and were able to give Claire a full-time parent.
The most recent major event of the past two months occurred on January 17, when we dedicated Claire to the Lord at McLean Bible Church. Pastor Lon Solomon presided over the dedication, shown in the brief movie below.
Claire continues to grow, and had her 4 month doctor’s appointment last week. She weighed 12 lbs 3 oz (25%), was 23.75 inches tall (50%) and had a noggin circumference of 16.25 inches (50-75%). At the doctor’s office, Claire was the happiest little (naked) angel until they stuck her with her immunizations, at which point she became the unhappiest little (naked) angel. The doctor apologized, but said that she was otherwise perfect, and very cute to boot. She also said that we could think about starting Claire on solid foods, but I think that we might wait till 6 months for that.
The holidays are over, Claire is growing into life as a baby, and we are all settling into a family rhythm. We’re trying to savor every minute, as we can see how fast time is moving. Pretty soon Claire will be mobile, and then the real fun begins.
Claire, your hoarding will not go unforgotten…